Imo Pensioners Again Protest Over 34 Months Unpaid Arrears, Says Rochas Is Devil’s Incarnate

Dan Opara

On Thursday,Dec.20th 2018,retirees and pensioners from various Local Government Areas of Imo State, took placards to the Governor Rochas Okorocha, demanding that their over 34 months pension arrears owed by the present should be paid with immediate effect, they pointed out that the 2018 Xmas is at hand and as such so many of them are dying due lack of money to take care of themselves.

Speaking to newsmen in Owerri near the  Imo Government House (their target point), the Owerri Chairman of Pensioners Association, Elder Comr. Sam Obegbulam Ojiaku, expressed worry, dissatisfaction, and disappointment over what he described as Governor Okorocha’s inability to pay their arrears over years ago.

Comr.Ojiaku frowned bitterly on the manner in which their payment is being made by the govt. of Rochas.

“No full payment of our pension arrears especially since he re-ascended the throne as a second-term Governor in 2015. He has refused to pay us our gratuity, allowances, and pensions. We are very much aware the Federal Govt. under President Mohammadu Buhari released the sum of N12.6b to the Imo Governor where the sum of N5b was mapped out for pensioners, yet he has refused to pay us. The bank alert we received from the govt. earlier slashed our money on 1/3rd of One Month of our individual payment”, the Chairman revealed.

He appealed to the Governor to at least pay them 3 months in full because Xmas is very near.

“The man ruling us as Imo State Governor over 7 years is a devil incarnate, he feels happy, rejoicing with his immediate families, in-laws and closed relatives seeing us dying on hunger almost on daily basis, his inability to pay some of us our pension arrears shows that he is an evil man”,says Imo Pensioners Owerri Chairman.

The protesters were however armed with various placards inscriptions such as: “Pensioners are dying of starvation, what crime did pensioners commit?, pension is a right, not a privilege, Gov.Okorocha take note, and gratuity is a forgotten issue in this administration called Rescue Mission”.

In his reaction, the Imo State Secretary to the Government, Hon.Sir.Mark Uchendu, condemned the pensioners who protested and said that the government of Rochas Okorocha is trying to pay them before the Xmas holidays sweeps in.

Sir. Uchendu, therefore, disclosed that their payment pattern is now through new techniques known as ” Inter-Switch” where all their names would be logged in a database.

He alleged that their protest could be sponsored by haters of the Rescues Mission led govt. of Governor Rochas Okorocha.

He assured that all the pensioners in the state would be paid, disclosed that the N5b mapped out by the Governor must definitely be used for their payment.

“Their issued we have resolved to pay them through inter-switch payment which is still on the process. They would all be logged in to access their money once it is activated. We will review all their documents and works via inter-switch”, SGI assured.

” There are over 24,000 pensioners in the state, and we are on daily basis making sure that all of them are captured. They would be paid soonest. We have paid them 3 months, and we are trying to pay them another 3 months, that is from Sept. to Dec.and Nobody will touch their money even the Governor. I do not know why they are making issues out of nothing”, Sir. Mark assured.

“Do not panic your money is still in the bank. It is your money, nobody will touch it. We shall pay you soonest. We have paid former Imo State Governors and Deputy Governors. Xmas is very close, we will pay you”, SGI tells Pensioners.

Meanwhile, some of the pensioners who were present during the protest have collectively described Gov.Rochas Okorocha as a devil incarnate.

Also, a woman who said she retired from the Civil Service, Mrs.Caroline Nwabugwu, said “I am a retiree of grade level 16 and I retired at grade level 16, but my salary arrears as a pensioner was slashed by 1/3 of One Month.

“For example, if I am supposed to be paid N137, 000 and the govt. bank alert for my payment became the sum of N16,000, instead of the complete payment. My payment is being slashed and it was not supposed to be like that”, she alleged.