Pensioners in Rivers State have pleaded with Governor Nyesom Wike to commence the payment of their gratuities and pension arrears owed them since 2014.
The appeal was made by the Rivers Chairman, Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Collins Nwonkwo, who explained that “No gratuities or accumulated arrears have been paid so far except for monthly pension.”
Nwonkwo explained that despite a series of pleas to the state government, gratuities, arrears of pension, harmonisation and other entitlements have not received any response.
He maintained that “the state government owes us a lot of money in all areas. They have not been paying as I said. We have those who retired since 2014, 2015, in fact, from 2014 till date, those who retired have not been paid.”
“They owe us many months of pension arrears that run into billions, so when you are making provisions for a paltry sum to service the debt, it does not go anywhere. We believe that he should start paying something rather than nothing. All this while, they have been addressing this thing gradually and that has brought us to where we are now.”
Also pleading on behalf of the pensioners, the National President of South-South Youths Initiative, Saviour Imeabe, advised Governor Wike to make conscious efforts to pay the retirees and pensioners.
He said it is wrong to see elders, who served the state with their strength and time protesting in the streets to demand what is due to them.
“We condemn in its entirety the idea of reckless spending of Rivers money on other states. This, the governor does in the form of donations to other state governments. Within two years, the governor has donated N1.5 billion to three states. N500,000,000, to Sokoto State, N500,000,000.00 to Benue State and just last week, the governor donated N500 million to Bayelsa State.
“This is happening when our pensioners are protesting, the education system is not functioning well, and the primary healthcare system is going down the drain. We see this as a slap on the people that gave him all the support he needed,” Imeabe added.
The retirees had earlier organised a prayer and fasting section over the unpaid pension arrers and gratuities.
