OSOGBO, Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Osun State chapter, on Wednesday, lamented that no fewer than 236 of the union’s members have lost their lives this year, due to hardships suffered over the inability of the state government to pay their pension allowances and gratuities.
Making this disclosure on Wednesday,after staging a peaceful protest to the Osun State Assembly complex, the NUP secretary, Elder Adesoji Adedire expressed regret that life had become miserable for pensioners in the state.
The protesters who were mostly elderly people from across the state, had moved from the Assembly to the popular Olaiya Junction, causing gridlock for more than two hours.
Displaying placards with various inscriptions including “Pensioners are suffering” Pay our pension”, “We can’t suffer anymore”, “stop deceiving us”, among others, the pensioners denounced in strong terms the failure of the state government to pay their allowances.
While addressing newsmen shortly after the protest, Adedire lamented that members of the union could no longer bear the agony posed by the current financial hardship in the state, contending that the protest became necessary since the President Muhammadu Buhar-led government had said that no state was being owed monthly allocation.
According to him, “pensioners in the state are yet to be paid seven months pension. All promises made by Governor Rauf Aregbesola when the pensioners met with him on July 23, 2013 were empty and his insensitivity to the plight of pensioners have led to the untimely death of many of us.
“About 30 per cent of the pensioners due for the 142 per cent pension arrears are yet to collect the initial 15 per cent of the arrears, payment which started in October 2012. Even many pensioners who were short paid were not attended to.”
“Non-payment of the arrears of 19 per cent, 6 per cent and 15 per cent pension increase which the government implemented in 2011 as well as non-payment of the federal share of gratuity and pension of those who retired from July 1, 2007 for which the state government has accepted are part of our grievances,” Adedire remarked.
Receiving the protesting pensioners at the State Assembly, the deputy chief whip of the house, Mr Taiwo Adeyemi urged them to exercise patience, assuring that the governor would soon find a solution to the issue.
Credit: Tribune (Nigeria)
