From Judex Okoro, Calabar

Local Government Pensioners in Cross River State have threatened to occupy governor’s office if their pension arrears are not paid within one month.

Other offices they threatened to occupy include  those of the House of Assembly speaker, Ministry of Finance, Local Government Service Commission and Local Government Pension Board.

The pensioners numbering about 5,000 claimed the state government owed them N9 billion as pension and gratuity arrears.

Chairman of the state local government pensioners, Bassey Bassey Okosin, who made this known while briefing newsmen, said they have given the authorities one month to enable them offset the arrears amicably.

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Okosin said: “As at today, N9 billion is outstanding in respect of arrears of pension and gratuity covering the period of 2007 and 2018 in favour of local government pensioners. They have been denied this entitlement on account of lack of funds.

“We had expected the governor to use the bailout and Paris Club funds. If the Federal Government had given the money for payment of the arrears, it would have reduced the pain of pensioners.”

Lamenting that most of them who retired might die without getting their dues, the chairman said: “Having exhausted all known means of reaching out to all the relevant arms of government without result, we have taken a decision to park our loads to live in the governor’s office, and all the offices that are responsible for the payment of these entitlements until further notice.

“This is not a threat but what is likely going to happen in the next one month. All our members have mobilise themselves from the 18 councils of the state for this exercise,” he said.

He decried a situation where elderly people are deprived of their pension for a period of six months as a result of verification exercise, regretting that even after the exercise was completed, about 600 genuine names have not been captured in the payroll. He solicited for marginal increase in subvention to accommodate the retirees, whose number grows monthly.