From Tony Osauzo, Benin
Hundreds of Edo State pensioners protesting non-payment of 10 years gratuities for workers from the state civil service and 13 years for local government retirees blocked the Oba Ovoranmwen Square (Ring Road) in Benin City on Monday, disrupting vehicular movement, even as one of the pensioners slumped and was rushed to a medical facility.
Besides the payment of gratuities, the pensioners were said to be protesting the continued deduction of one per cent of their income to the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP) and non-harmonisation of their pension to ensure that all those who retired at the same level earn the same pension irrespective of the year they retired.
The blockade of the city centre caused gridlock along adjoining streets like Airport Road, Ezoti Street, Reservation Road, parts of Sapele Road and others.
One of the protesters, Gordon Osamunyi, who spoke to journalists, said: ‘We are all pensioners that are alive, we all have issues with the government if it is not harmonization, it is the consequential adjustment of the N30,000 minimum wage every pensioner that is still alive today has issues with the government.
‘There is no harmonisation of pensions which is making people who retired in the same salary grade level earn the same pension irrespective of the time they retired. This is in the constitution but the Edo State government has not done so. There are increases that would have harmonized salaries but they were not done dating back to the period of Lucky Igbinedion.
‘Then we have an issue with not paying the gratuity. Since this government came in 2016, they have not paid a single year’s gratuity. At least the previous government tried to pay at least one set in a year and people are retiring every time. Let the government start paying as its predecessor did.
‘In 2017, April precisely, the present government called those who retired in 2012 and 2013 because Oshimhole’s government stopped in 2011 for screening. They were screened at Imaguero College and the yellow paper which is the authority they have that the government is owning was withdrawn from them which is the practice and then told to go and wait for their alert, till now, none of them has been credited with their money. The alert is still being expected four years and six months after. Unpaid gratuities are now spanning ten years since the last one that was paid was in 2011. Now in the local government, theirs is spanning from 2008 till date these are stockpiled gratuity.’
The Permanent Secretary, Pension Bureau, Washington Abbey, while responding to the pensioners’ demand, said the government has acceded to the stoppage of the one per cent deduction and assured that their demands would be met soonest.