1,126,000 Pensioners Die in Kwara Over Unpaid Pensions

Nigeria Union of Pensioners yesterday alleged that its members in Kwara State totaling 1,126,000 had lost their lives between January 2015 and February, 2017, following the refusal of the state government to pay their pensions. The union, which accused the state government of being responsible for the death of local government pensioners, claimed that over 1,000 of its members died as a result of the hardships they were subjected to because of lack of money to meet their medications in the hospital. Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Kwara branch, Isiaka Akanbi who addressed a press conference in Ilorin on Thursday, listed four pensioners who died recently in Ifelodun Local Government, the home council of Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed, to include one Garba Okoye from Share, the home town of the governor; late N.S. Alabi, 72, Mrs John, 62, and Alashi, 68. He also alleged that about 6,000 local government pensioners and teachers in primary and junior secondary schools across the 16 local government areas of the state were being owed N5billion unpaid gratuities. Akanbi said the last payment of gratuity to retirees from the 16 local government councils and teachers was made in 2008 and accused the state government of stagnation of payment of gratuities, deliberate non-implementation of 20 percent harmonisation of 2010 salary increase to the local government/Local Government Education Authority pensioners and inadequate monthly allocation to the local government pensioners. He, however, appealed to Senate President Bukola Saraki, who is from the state, to prevail on the governor to pay his members’ pensions and gratuities with a view to alleviating their hardships. In his reaction, the senior special assistant to the governor on Media and Communications, Dr. Muyideen Akorede denied the state government’s responsibility for the plight of the pensioners, adding that the state government did not owe any pensioner. Akorede said: Though the state government is not responsible for their plight, Governor Ahmed is concerned and worried about the plight of the LG workers and pensioners who are being owed pensions arrears by the local government councils. He, however, commiserated with the families of the departed pensioners and the Nigeria Union of Pensioners over their demise.