Ogona Anita
Some angry Retirees in Rivers state have accused civil servant in government of colluding with desperate Pensioners to collect bribes and clear pension payments for some while paying others peanut as death benefits, Accrued arrears and gratuities
The Pensioners made up of Retirees from 2014 to date who gathered at the state secretariat lamented the slow pace of payment by government while still subjecting them to hardship despite biometric exercise that was completed six months ago by all retired pensioners
The pensioners who were eager to match to government house gate to express their grievances alleged that some of the civil servants working inside civil service pension board have been collecting morning from them in millions to transfer full gratuities to some retirees while giving others half or one third of their full emoluments
Speaking to our correspondent at the end of the emergency meeting arising from the allegations, they decried lack of transparency in the schedule for payment saying that government officials are paying off senior retired civil servants while leaving the junior cadre in penury, they explained that some officials would ask them to enter deal with them if they pay you five million, you will transfer Five (500)thousand back to an account to them for helping you to collect all your money at once and urge government to urgent release funds that would sustain over 8000 retired seniors citizens from the state Civil services instead of focusing on some retired people from parastatals
For his part the coordinator of the Retirees from 2012 to date Lucky Ati said though government is paying 1 billion Naira to clear the backlog of the death benefits, arrears and gratuities but that the one billion naira is like dropping water in an ocean which is why the retirees are still agitated, Noting that 1 Billion is too small to meet up with the long queue of Pensioners waiting to collect this money
He said since June last year that Government started paying the retirees gratuities and pension arrears including death benefits, not up to two thousand persons have been paid from the pool of over eight thousand retirees
Lucky Ati explained that he is not sure of the accusation of collecting bribe or that some people owned 6Million, are paid paltry sum, What I know is that government started from2012 batch and are still at 2014-2015, I have told them anyone offered Paltry sum should come with proof so that we can arm ourselves to get to the root of the allegations for payment while some have allegedly refused to collect incomplete sum if you don’t collect the full sum it is assumed that Government is still owing you, which is not right
Our correspondent reports that the angry Pensioners who attempted to march to Government house to protest slow pace of payment were calmed down and talked out of it by their officials and resolved to seek proper channel before they will match to the street
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