Pensioners score Udom low for poor handling of entitlements in A’ Ibom
By Isaac Job
Pensioners in Akwa Ibom State have scored former governor of the state low for inability to pay their entitlements.
Addressing a press conference in Uyo on Wednesday, the chairman of Akwa Ibom pensioners Obong Ekpenyong Ekpo and the Secretary Obong Cosmos Essien said the former governor Udom Emmanuel did not mind the plight of retired government workers throughout his administration.
Essien recalled that during one of the protests by retirees to Government House in Uyo , the former Udom Emmanuel joined them in the protest claiming that he (Udom) is the next of kin to his late mother who was a retired primary school teacher.
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He said the former governor Udom Emmanuel later set up a three man committee headed by Head of Service Elder Effiong Essien , former Secretary to the State Government Dr Emmanuel Ekuwem and the commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs Hon Frank Archibong to harmonize pension in the state but they failed in their mandate
According to the state secretary, “The sad plight of our members is that those who retired in the 1980s with salaries of N1000, N1500 or N2000 are still collecting such amount as pension till date in Akwa Ibom State.
“Whenever you retire, what is worked out for you remain static, until the 1999 constitution in section 173 (3) (2) (10) said explicitly that pension will be reviewed every five years along whatever increase giving to workers. Government here bluntly refused to implement the review.
“Can you imagine that in present Day Nigeria, many of our members are still collecting N2000 a month, some N1000 a month and their current situation is very pathetic, some don’t have children to care for them, few privileged have while those who have children late are still training them in school”.
“When Akwa ibom government promised us minimum pension of N20,000 for those who returned before 1997 and N30,000 for those afterwards and asked us to inform members across board, there was jubilation and they also promised to start payment from April 2023 to avoid accumulation of arrears, however till date nothing has been paid. All pressure on government to implement it failed woefully.
“The arrears they tried to avoid has accumulated. We have been praying, crying and reaching out to those in government to help but no sign of change, our members are dying daily because they cannot afford drugs, over 65% of pensioners are hypertensive, and diabetic, survival in Nigeria presently is very expensive and our members are no longer coping, we have brought our plight to government and they snubbed us.
However, the union express gratitude to governor Umo Eno for the payment of gratuity stressing that the governor has within the 9 months of his stay in government paid about 14 billion in gratuities which cut across civil pensioners, local government pensioners, primary school pensioners and next of kins.
The group added “If other administrations have made similar efforts, I think we will not have been in this kind of dilemma we found ourselves today. We really appeal to him to continue as a pastor with heart of human kindness to salvage the situation.
He must not toe the part of his predecessors who abandoned the aged citizens and our prayer for the governor will be ceaseless in order to do more
“We have realized that pensioners have nobody to speak for them and let the world know thier plight in Akwa Ibom. We appeal to the incumbent governor to come to our aid by establishing pension commission or Board.
“We have had cases of the past governors announce publicly that they are not owing any pension and I can tell you that 80% of pensioners who are tenants have had their property thrown out by their landlords”.he said.
