Metro
Pensioners shut down Abia govt house over non-payment of 20-month arrears
Retired civil servants on Monday laid siege to Abia State government house in Umuahia over their unpaid 20-month pension arrears.
The pensioners, clad in mournful attires, also took their protest to the Abia Assembly where they met with the leadership and members.
They implored the government to pay them their entitlements which they claimed had accumulated to over 20 months.
A protester, who simply gave his name as George, painted a desperate picture.
“We are protesting for over 20 months outstanding pension arrears. We want the government to settle us, our children are out of school, and we can’t pay house rent, we can’t pay anything, we want all to be paid.
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“It is 22 months now and this is aside what the past government owes us. This is what the present government owes us. If we add five months owed by the previous governor, Dr. T.A Orji, it will be making up to 27 months unpaid pension. We are not even talking about gratuity that has been stopped for over 19months. We are heading to the House of Assembly.”
The pensioners headed to the Abia state House of Assembly where they were addressed by Speaker Chinedum Orji.
Orji, who pleaded with the protesting pensioners to go back to their houses, assured that the lawmakers will ensure that they engaged the State Executive Arm to see how they could ameliorate their sufferings.
He advised the pensioners not to allow themselves to be used by politicians to achieve their selfish purposes of destabilising the state and promised them that the issue of pension arrears would soon be a thing of the past.
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