Pension arrears: Rivers Govt gets one-week ultimatum

Friday, November 1, 2019 8:25 pm

pensioners protest at Rivers State Secretariat

…vows to occupy major streets Tuesday next week.

Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

Pensioners in Rivers have issued a one-week ultimatum to the State Government to pay all their pension entitlements or they would have no option, but to embark on a protest.

The pensioners gave the ultimatum today after a meeting at the Rivers State Secretariat.

The leader and spokesman of the pensioners, Lucky Ati, told journalists that if by Tuesday, November 5, the state government has not pay them, they would occupy the streets.

Ati lamented that the government had released a budget of over N33m for pensioners, yet nothing has happened while noting that 4,000 retirees in the state have been suffering with some even dead.

“It is our right, we are not asking anything outside our right, we enter into a pensionable employment that says after 35 years of service or 60 years of age, they are going to pay us gratuity and prompt pension, between now and Tuesday next week, if government did not do anything, we are going back to the streets”.

Other pensioners who spoke to journalists lamented that for five years they have not been paid.

According to them, out of 4,400 pensioners, government only paid 800 persons.

They noted this was in spite of the fact that the government took their biometrics over four months ago.