Pensioners in Rivers State have again stormed the streets of Port Harcourt, protesting non-payment of entitlements by the State Government.
The pensioners who matched to the State Secretariat on Wednesday lamented nonpayment of gratuities since 2012 and ten years pensions arrears which they claimed had caused them untold hardship and death of alleged 300 colleagues.
2015 retiree, Mr. U D Moses, who was among the protesters said, “I have not been paid gratuity and I am owed three years pension arrears, some of us owed 7 years. We suffered for the state. Is it a crime to give in 35 years of our lives to this state?
“We have made effort through different means to reach out to the Governor but to no avail. We even met with some elder statesmen to help us appeal to him but the Governor paid deaf ears.
“We will continue this protest until he pays us. He set up a tripartite committee, and till now we have not heard anything from him. We have lost over 300 pensioners from 2012 till date.”
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The Commissioner of Police, Rivers Command, CP Friday Eboka, assured the angry pensioners that, “I will your case up from this place because very soon I will retire and if I do not take care of your situation, who will take of mine? I will carry your grievances, all you have articulated and pass it on to the governor to look into your plight.”
Spokesperson for the pensioners, Lucky Ati, “The CP coming out to intervene does not mean we are giving up. We will go out today, will return here again if they do not comply. We will still come out.
