- We’ve Become Beggars, Scavengers, Refugees, Fugitives, Destitute
- Govt Pays N700m Monthly – N300m to LG and N400m to State Pensioners – Ortom
PENSIONERS in Benue State, under the aegis of National Union Coalition of Aggrieved Pensioners, Benue State Chapter, last Thursday appealed to the Benue State government to pay them the arrears of their pensions that had accumulated for a total of 33 months for state pensioner and 74 months for local government pensioners.
The Coalition of Aggrieved Pensioners, National Record gathered, is a faction of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP) in the state, who believes in being more proactive and confrontational over the payment of their entitlements including gratuity.
The aggrieved retirees made the appeal in a statement in response to media report credited to Governor Samuel Ortom who spoke to the media following a demonstration by pensioners in Makurdi on October 6, 2021.
The pensioners’ rejoinder, signed by their Chairman, Comrade Akosu Orban, and Secretary, Comrade Mac Mtsur, said Governor Ortom raised a number of issues that they needed to put in perspective with respect to the non-payment of their 33 (2 years plus 9 months) and 74 months’ (6 years plus 2 months) state and local government pension arrears respectively, among other issues.
The coalition, who faulted Governor Ortom for trading on the monthly release of N700 million being part payment from arrears, asked him to instead clear all the arrears owed pensioners. According to the senior citizens, the comments by the governor amounted to “a heap of scorn on pensioners [who had] vowed not to trade insults with the Government.”
“The Governor claimed that N700,000,000 is always released monthly for the payment of pension arrears but left other issues untouched. That statement made was a heap of scorn on pensioners that vowed not to trade insults with the Government, in that we are a respected and law abiding senior citizens.
“What we had always said is PAY US OUR WAGES: We are not interested in hearing about the money released every month for the payment of our pension; neither in the payment made on the mass media but interested in the actual and physical payment made to pensioners. We wonder why such money is always released every month for our payment yet the number of months being owed kept on rising at the end of every month. We are tired of your payments made to pensioners on the pages of Newspapers; Radios and in churches. You made a statement that for the past 6 months, you have been releasing ₦700,000,000 monthly for our payment but this is the stark reality and actual payment in the past 6 months,” the pensioners stated.
Details of payment
According to the aggrieved senior citizens, of the 33 months arrears for state pensioners, only six months were inherited from the previous administration of former Governor Gabriel Suswam while the current administration of Governor Samuel Ortom has amassed 27 months.
The pensioners gave a breakdown of the payments made to them by the state government to state employees, although the statement was silent on the payment to local government pensioners. The breakdown, outlined in the statement, is as follows:
“On the 9th Sept 2020, we were paid Nov. 2018
“On the 18th Nov. 2020, we were paid Dec. 2018
“On the 11th Jan, 2021, we were paid Jan. 2019
“On the 14th May 2021, we were paid Feb. 2019
“On the 17th July 2021, we were paid Marcy 201
“On the 10th Sept. 2021, we were paid April 2019
“There are no further payments till date,” the pensioners stressed, wondering why pension arrears were rising despite the claimed monthly release of N700 million for pension payment by the government.
They therefore challenged Governor Ortom to crosscheck his facts or probe the processes in the payment of the arrears.
“Mr. Governor Sir, please cross check your facts or you may wish to probe the pipeline through which money is released to pensioners if not, the money is not getting to us. May be, the snake that had swallowed money in the JAMB in Makurdi, is in that pipeline.
“It is desirable and important to know that, out of the 33 months pension arrears owed pensioners, only 6 months were inherited from the previous administration; the rest 27 months are a creation of the present administration,” the statement noted as they senior citizens begged Governor Ortom to address their plight in a conscientious and compassionate manner.
“With due respect, pensioners want the Government to address the issues raised wholly, conscientiously and compassionately to alleviate our sufferings.
“It is sad that we are dying on a daily bases as most of us are on special diet and drugs, but could not afford even a maintenance ration, talk more of a special diet or drugs.
“As a result, we are on the verge of extinction, yet, nobody cares. Some of us have become beggars, scavengers, and refugees, wanderers, fugitives and destitute just to survive,” the statement lamented, while also threatening that if the ongoing “man’s inhumanity to man” being visited on them persists; “we may be forced or tempted to use our numerical strength and adopt a different strategy to our problem.”
The pensioners vowed to stage another protest in a date to be announced and called on all Benue State pensioners, from retired cleaners to heads of department, accountants general, permanent secretaries and heads of service to endeavour to come out and participate in order to to give more weight to their grievances.
“It is our money; we should not be ashamed of asking for it. Pensioners not buoyant enough to come over to the State Headquarters in Makurdi should stage same in their local governments of residence in sympathy with the state chapter.”
We had an agreement and we’ve been following it – Ortom
In response to the statement by the pensioners, Governor Ortom, in a press statement by his Principal Special Assistant (PSA), Media/Ag. Chief Press Secretary, Mr Nathaniel Ikyur, neither denied nor confirmed the 33/74-month period of arrears the pensioners claimed they are being owed.
Rather, Governor Ortom, while acknowledging that the issues raised by the aggrieved pensioners have been noted, however generally stated that government “does not deny the fact that it is owing the pensioners which was inherited.”
According to the statement, the government had an agreement with the leadership of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP) early this year, and since then, has been paying N700 million every month, on a ratio of N300 million for local government pensioners, and N400 million, for state pensioners.
The statement, entitled: “Re-Non Payment of Pensions and Gratuities,” reads: “It should be noted that the State government, in agreement with the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, who are also part of the monthly Local Government Joint Account have been paying the sum of N700 Million naira to pensioners in the state.
“Out of this amount, N300 million is paid to the local government Pensioners and the sum of N400 million to state pensioners every month. This has been in effect in the last six months and government intends to continue with this until we are able to stabilise the payment system.
“Most importantly, the Benue State Government has domesticated the National Pension Commission’s Law. This will serve as a permanent solution to issues of retiring civil servants. This means that when people retire from the public service, the challenge of waiting on government will not arise. They will be paid by their respective Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) on retirement.
“Government notes the issues raised by the aggrieved pensioners. Government does not deny the fact that it is owing the pensioners which was inherited. However, Government wishes to state that it is not in the best interest of the state to engage our respected retired senior citizens in the media space. Government has therefore decided that it will invite the parties to engage them.”
How the government is paying the arrears – Source
A source, a retiree from the state civil service, who pleaded anonymity for fear of persecution, corroborated the monthly release of N700 million as well as the number of months owed pensioners in both state and local governments.
According to the source, the total monthly liability for state pensioner is N800 million while that for local governments is N750 million.
“The state government owes arrears of 33 months for state pensioners and about 74 months for local government pensioners. The issue is that the governor had categorically said that it is not possible for him to upset those months in a swoop. He had said he will be alternating the payment.
“The total pension bill for the state pensioners is N800 million monthly. What he does is that he gives N400 million this month which will be given to Makurdi sub-treasury, that is, for pensioners residing in Makurdi and who are receiving from Makurdi sub-treasury. Then, the following month, he gives another N400 which will go to pensioners residing in other sub-treasuries in the local governments. That is for state pensioners.
“What I am saying is that, of the 800 million naira pension liabilities of state pensioners, the government gives half every month on a rotational basis between Makurdi sub-treasury and local government sub-treasuries.
“For local government pensioners, he gives N300 million, which is not up to half of the pension liabilities for local government pensioners; which is 375 million. So, at the moment, he gives N700 million – N300 million to local government pensioners and N400 million to state pensioners. Because this is not enough to go round, pensioners take turns to get paid.
While Suswam left six months, so when bailout fund came, instead of clearing the six months, they paid only three months. That three months balance is still pending, so, if it is 33 months this government is owing, then three months is for Suswam and 30 months is for Ortom,” the source told National Record.
The source also spoke on unpaid gratuities for retired state civil servants and local government employees.
“Another part that is very painful is the gratuity aspect. In the state, it is over one year now that no dime has been given to any ministry, department or agency to pay gratuity.
“For the local government, small as the money is, N300 million, the state Pension Commission will remove like N40 or N60 million to just pay small, small. We queried the payment process because in the payment, they usually pay government officials’ relatives. This is because, when they worry them, they will go to PenCom Chairman and give them their relations names and when they give PenCom N300 million, PenCom will remove N40 or N60 million and do abracadabra with government officials who will present their relatives.
“But we are now saying they should involve pension union in the payment of gratuity at local governments and then they should try and make money available to the state so that they will at least be reducing that of the state small, small by paying retired people.”
Pensioner truly dying
The source confirmed that pensioners are truly dying from lack of resources to cater for themselves.
“It is over five years that I retired from service but I have not collected my gratuity. Some of us, if not because we have people who are augmenting us, we would be suffering the same fate.
“I wait for this alternate pension payment. When it is our turn, they pay us, then the following month, they pay those outside the state capital and then we wait like that.
“Before now, Ortom was not paying anything, he was just sitting and be watching and be paying civil servants, who are also not being paid regularly. Even for the civil servants, he jumped five months and it is still not paid, but he is paying ahead, and he thinks he is paying regularly, but five months is outstanding.”
