By Umar Bayo Abdulwahab
Ilorin
Nigeria Union of Pensioners yesterday alleged that a total of 1,126,000 of its members in Kwara state have lost their lives between January 2015 and February, 2017 awaiting their pensions from the state government.
The union, which accused the state government for being responsible for the death of local government pensioners, claimed that over 1000 of its members died as a result of the hardships they were subjected to because of lack of money to meet their medications in the hospital.
The chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Kwara branch, Isiaka Akanbi, who addressed a press conference in Ilorin yesterday, listed four pensioners who died recently in Ifelodun local government to include one Garba Okoye from Share, N.S Alabi, 72, Mrs. John, 62, and Alashi, 68.
He also alleged that about 6,000 local government pensioners and primary and junior secondary schools teachers across the 16 LGAs were being owed N5billion unpaid gratuities.
Akanbi said the last payment of gratuity to retirees from the 16 LG workers and teachers was in 2008, accusing the state government of “stagnation of payment of gratuities, non-implementation of 20% harmonisation of year 2010 salary increase.
He, however, appealed to Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, who is from the state to prevail on the governor to pay his members’ pensions and gratuities with a view to alleviating their hardships.
In his reaction, the Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Media and Communications, Dr. Muyideen Akorede, denied government’s responsibility for the plight of the pensioners, adding that the state government did not owe any pensioner in the state.
