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The news reaching the Newsroom of Arise News247 has it that commercial activities came to a halt in Owerri, Imo State capital on Tuesday 20th December, 2016 as a result of the demonstration embarked upon by the State chapter of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners over the slash of their pension arrears by the APC led State Government.
According to Arise News247 Owerri correspondents, the state government distributed a form tagged “pension form”, to all the Retirees, which they are to sign an undertaking to accept pension slash of 40% forfeiting the remaining 60% of their pension arrears to the Government. This the state government blamed on the recession in the country.
This development did not go down well with the Pensioners who described the policy as wicked and fraudulent. Hence, they take to the street in peaceful protest blocking the major roads, causing heavy traffic gridlock. Placards with various inscriptions like,”Rochas don’t impose your forged letter on the Pensioners”, “Asking Pensioners to forfeit 60 percent of pension arrears is evil”, “40%-60% pension proposal of Imo State Government is fraudulent”, “Pension is our right and not a gratification”etc.
The Chairman of NUP in the State, Comrade Gideon Ezeji, asserted that the Government is owing civil Pensioners 22 months pension arrears, Local Government retirees 23 months; retired Primary school Teachers 32 months; Imo Broadcasting Corporation Pensioners 43 months; retired Permanent Secretaries 22 months and Alvan Ikoku Pensioners 77 months. Adding also that, “all the efforts to make Imo State Government treat the Pensioners humanely has proved abortive. The latest Government move is to pay 40 percent of the accumulated pension arrears and to forfeit 60 percent. The Government is now using its agents to force the gullible Pensioners sign the document it prepared”. He concluded.
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