OKERAFOR ATHANATIUS, Jalingo.
Pensioners in Taraba State Monday, took to the streets of Jalingo the State capital, on a peaceful protest against the State Government’s inability to pay their Pensions and Gratuities for over Ten (10) years.
Daily Times gathered that the Pensioners who came out in large numbers were seen with placards with various inscriptions, “Our Pensioners are dying without collecting their Pensions and Gratuities”, “Gratuity, a Right not a Privilege”, among others.
“According to our Correspondent, the Concerned Retirees moved from Government House Round About to the State House of Assembly Complex, Jalingo.
Reading a Statement, the Taraba State Chairman, Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Comrade Silas Jafta, represented by his Vice, Comrade Sambo said their visit to the State House of Assembly was to present their Complaint on Non Payment of Gratuities and Pensions for the Local Government Staff.
“We the above mentioned body in Taraba State wishes to request your humble office to intervene concerning the non payment of Gratuities for State and Local Government Retirees and Pension for Local Government Staff Retirees”,
“Hon. Speaker, you may wish to know that many Local Government Staff retired for over eight to ten years now without being paid Pensions”, he stated.
The aggrieved Pensioners added that non payment of their Gratuities and Pensions of Local Government Staff have caused untold hardship to them, stressing that their children were sent out-of School, so many of them have suffered various degrees of sicknesses and died while others are still sick without money for treatment.
While calling on the Speaker of State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Joseph Albasu Kunini to table their matter before his Colleagues for discussion, Jafta added, “We have tried all we could to persuade Governor Darius Ishaku to pay but he paid deaf ears to our plead”.
In an interview with our Correspondent shortly, one of the Pensioners expressed worry that the Lawmakers did not come out to hear from them saying, they were ignored by Mr. Speaker.
It was however, learnt that Rt. Hon. Proff. Joseph Albasu Kunini chose to attend to the Officials of the Pensioners off Camera and/or behind closed doors, a situation that did not go down well with some of the Pensioners present at the State Assembly.
