Edo Pensioners urge government to pay pension arrears

Pensioners in Edo on Thursday appealed to the State Government to use part of the Paris debt refund to clear pension arrears, as advised by the Federal Government.

The pensioners made the appeal during a peaceful protest in Benin over the non-payment of their pension arrears.

The pensioners, who were carrying placards with various inscriptions, also called for the immediate re-opening of the State’s Pensions Board to enable those yet to process their pension papers to do so.

A spokesman for the pensioners, Mr Egbon Osanwonyi, said that the pensioners were been owed pension arrears of fourteen months.

He said that some pensioners were being owed gratuities for about four years, and called for the immediate harmonisation of all pension increments.

He also called for the immediate payment of the Local Government Area Pensioners whose monthly stipends had been stopped for about eleven months now.

Osanwonyi demanded the immediate enrollment of pensioners, who were yet to be captured for their monthly pensions.

According to him, most states have received their own share of the Paris debt refund and channelled same according to the Federal government’s directive.

“Unfortunately, three months after, the Edo government is yet to channel the N11.38 billion it received from the Federal Government into the payment of pension arrears.

“The Edo government should do the needful. Many of us have died while waiting for our entitlements.

“We have used our useful age to work hard for this state and thus deserved the best, especially now that we are aged and retired from service,” he said.

Reacting to the protest, Edo government said modalities are being put in place to commence the screening of 2012/2013 state pensioners, for the payment of gratuity.

The State’s Head of Service, Mrs Gladys Idahor, who disclosed this, also appealed for patience and understanding from the pensioners.

She said that the screening would commence in March, after the completion of the ongoing verification by the Federal Government.