Imo pensioners protest 77 months arrears, say Gov Okorocha happy seeing them suffer

Imo State pensioners on Thursday obstructed Okigwe road and the entrance to Government House Owerri, in protest of Governor Rochas Okorocha’s refusal to pay them their pensions which according to them stand between 22 and 77 months in arrears.

Led by their state chairman, Chief Gideon Ezeji, they called on President Muhammadu Buhari to instruct Okorocha to pay them.

“He behaves disrespectfully and treats senior citizens in the state deplorably. Okorocha derives joy in seeing elders in this state coming out from time to time to the streets to ask for their pension. What did Okorocha do with the bailout fund that President Buhari gave to him? We are protesting for the third time,” Ezeji said.

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The group stated that they were mostly aggrieved over plans by the state government to pay 40 per cent leaving out 60 per cent of the accumulated arrears and gratuities.

Their chairman said, “We say no to this latest government plan to deny us the payment of 60 per cent of arrears up to December.”

Pension arrears said to be owned pensioners in the state as at December 2016, ranges between 22 to 77 months.
“Our gratuities have remained unpaid since 1998 till date,” Ezeji said.

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