Delta Retiree Slumps During Protest Against Governor Okowa’s Failure To Pay Entitlements

A Delta State retiree, Alfred Esiphri, slumped on Thursday during a protest by the retirees against the state government over its failure to pay them their entitlements.

The retirees, who were primary schools teachers and staff of local government councils numbering over 2000, came with different placards inscriptions such as "Okowa pay us our pensions and gratuities now." "Okowa stop killing the retirees. Retirees are suffering and dying daily." "Governor Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa pay us our gratuities and pension from 2014 till date. 35 years of service is not a joke pay us now." "Okowa the blood of the dead retirees are on your head." among others.

They disrupted an empowerment programme by the state government at the state event centre.

It was however observed that as the protest was going on, the entrance gate of the event centre was already barricaded by the protesting retirees.

In the process, one of the retirees, identified as Alfred Esiphri slumped, thereby creating confusion among the protesters.

Eyewitnesses said some of the retirees gathered around Esiphri and began to revive him, after which he regained consciousness after several minutes of battling for his life.

He was thereafter taken away from the venue of the protest.