37 pensioners died waiting for pension in Edo
A total of thirty seven pensioners in Edo State have been confirmed dead in the last thirty months while awaiting their pension.
This was made known to journalists by the leader of the Aggrieved pensioners in Edo state, Barr. Gabriel Osemwekhai, while staging another round of protest to press for their pension arrears at the popular Kings Square on Monday.
Osemwekhai disclosed that the group resumed protest in Benin to demand for the payment of their gratuity and pension arrears.According to him, the pensioners were being owed between five and 42 months pension arrears, gratuity, adding that the local government pensioners are owed from 2008 till date while the State pensioners are being owed from 2012 till date.” About 37 of our members have lost their lives between 2014 till date. They died young, not because of old age, but because they could not afford to pay hospital bills. You can see one woman sitting down on wheel chair. She is more or less like a beggar,”.The retirees who clad red attires, barricaded the Oba Ovoramwen Square thereby disrupting the free flowing of traffic and forcing vehicles to take alternative roads.He explained that they resumed their protest because the State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obsseki, was not willing to use the Paris Club refund money to pay their pension arrears and gratuity.“The latest development is that we have not heard form the government. We have protested times without number. This is the 13th time we are coming out to protest in respect of the non-payment of our arrears and gratuity.” The money recently paid to pensioners is the two months monthly pension he is owing them. The amount for one month is N220 million, and he paid for two months successively.. But he did not brought out any money from the Paris Club refund,” he said..He said all that they are demanding is the payment of pension arrears and gratuity to enable us to start new life after disengaging from government service.
