A section of pensioners in Benue State on Wednesday protested in Makurdi over the non-payment of their pension arrears and gratuities by successive government.
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The pensioners were demanding the payment of 34 and 74 months arrears and gratuities owed them at the state and local government respectively.
The pensioners numbering over 200 took off from Ken Ville Park and walked round the city centre chanting solidarity songs while bearing placards with inscriptions that read, ‘All we are saying give us our pension and gratuity Mr Governor’, ‘Mr Governor, defender of Benue Valley, please, defend us pensioners too otherwise we die’, ‘Mr Governor, pay us our pension and gratuities’, ‘We too need money to eat’, among others.
The Chairman of the factional group of pensioners, Mr Akosu Ugba, said they were holding a peaceful protest to demand their pay and to also let the whole world know what they were going through.
He said, “We have not been paid for 34 months and 74 months at state and local government levels respectively. We are asking government to pay us our 34 months and 74 months arrears at the state and local government levels respectively.
Our children no longer go to school because we cannot afford their school fees. We have lost our wives to okada people because we are no longer economically productive. We cannot do anything. Some of our people are dying because they are on special drugs; some on special diets but cannot afford them again.”
Ugba, who claimed that over 500 members had died so far, further stated that Benue pensioners were dying silently following the inhuman treatment and the attendant psychological trauma they were going through.
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