Aggrieved pensioners from the South-East have given the president advice on what he must do to those who stole their pension money and left them to die.
Some Nigerian pensioners (Photo:File)
Pensioners in the South-East have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately jail all those involved in pension fraud in the country as compensation for the loss of lives.
The call came from leaders of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, South-East Zone, in a communique issued after a meeting in Enugu.
“The meeting expressed its total support for President Muhammadu Buhari’s war against corruption, impunity and fraud.
“It urges the President to bring to justice all those who defrauded pensioners of their entitlements.
“It calls on all pensioners in the zone to support the anti-corruption campaign with their prayers and activities,” the communique, signed by the South-East Zonal Chairman of the NUP, Comrade Damian Udeani, said.
They accused the Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha of subjecting pensioners to hardship. According to them, Okorocha has not paid pensions for up to 12 months.
“The zonal meeting reviewed the pension payment situation in the zone and noticed with dismay the hostile attitude of the Imo State Government in denying the state’s pensioners of their pensions for as many as 12 months.
“It wondered why the Imo State Governor, who was adjudged the most pensioner-friendly governor in 2014, should now turn round to strangulate his senior citizens,”
They called on Buhari to prevail on Okorocha to pay pensioners so that they will not die as they demanded the transfer of pensioners in parastatals to the civil service pension payment system
.
“The meeting condemns in strong terms the treatment meted out to state parastatal pensioners who are owed months and years of pension arrears.
“It urges all states in the zone to transfer parastatal pensioners to the civil service pension payment system.
“The meeting urges all states that have not implemented the contributory pension scheme to do so immediately so that future payment of pensions will not depend on the whims and caprices of those in authority,” the pensioners added.