Imo pensioners to Okorocha: You are our enemy

The Imo State council of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has asked its members to embark on a peaceful demonstration if the state government failed to pay their pension arrears.
The pensioners also described Governor Rochas Okorocha as their enemy for his insensitive nature to their plight,
In a communiqué at the end of an emergency executive meeting on Wednesday in Owerri, the union explained that the demonstration would take place at the expiration of a 21-day ultimatum given to the state government.
Chief Gideon Ezeji, the state chairman of the union, who read the communiqué, said: “The Imo State NUP had given the government a 14-day notice starting from July 16, at the expiration of the 14 days, we will give another seven days and if the government fails to pay the arrears, we will march through the streets of Owerri.
“The council also frowns at the planned verification of Imo pensioners as well as staggering the payment of pension arrears owed members to 36 instalments,’’ the union said.
It said that before any form of verification would be conducted, the government should pay, at least, three months arrears to pensioners to enable them present themselves for the exercise.
“Pensioners who retired as primary school teachers are owed 18 months, local government pensioners owed six months and pensioners from the civil service are owed five months, among others.
“The government should pay three months arrears of pension for these starving and sick pensioners to receive something to enable them to gain strength to come for the verification,’’ it said.
The communique condemned the agreement between the state government and the Nigeria Labour Congress to spread the payment of the arrears for 36 months.
“There are pensioners who receive less than N10,000 monthly; if you spread such amount for 36 months, how much will such person go out monthly to collect?’’ it wondered.
It condemned the indifference of Okorocha to correspondences from the union to meet with him over their plight.