Protesting pensioners block Governor Ayade’s office

Members of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP) on Friday barricaded Governor Ben Ayade’s office in Calabar over several months of unpaid pensions and gratuities.

They bore placards demanding payment of pensions, gratuities and arrears of pensions owed them between August 2013 and November 2021.

They expressed regret, pain, hunger, anguish, untold hardship and frustration, saying the state government was insensitive to their plights.

They arrived Governor Ayade’s office when he was at the state House of Assembly for the funeral obsequious of late Mike Ogar, a former state legislator.

The Permanent Secretary in charge of security in the governor’s office, Dr. Alfred Nboto, acknowledged the plight of the protesters and pleaded with them to allow him take their demands to the Governor.

“I have seen your plight, and I can say that nobody will see this and not understand that you are in pain. But I am assuring you that we Will do everything possible to address your demands. The issue of pension affects all of us, I myself will soon join you.

“I can assure you that the government is doing everything possible for pensions and gratuities to be paid. I will take all I have seen here to him when he comes back,” Dr. Nboto said.

Chairman of NUP, Dr. Eyo Otu Eyo, said “We have come to see our governor, to tell him, that Imoke paid pension and gratuity up to the month of July 2013. From the month of August 2013 down till date, nobody has been paid. Those of us that retired in 2014, in addition to those who were not paid in 2013, down the line to 2021 have not been paid their gratuities and pensions.

Eyo decried the attitude of government having favourites amongst the pensioners and paying them selectively.

He was also dismayed that some pensioners receive as low as N3,000 per month as pension.

Dr. Eyo regretted that even their children who have graduated from school have no jobs while many pensioners are bedridden