Benue pensioners regret funding Alia’s nomination forms, protest arrears

Pensioners in Benue State, Nigeria, marched in heavy rain to protest the non-payment of their outstanding gratuities and pension arrears, some of which date back two decades. The demonstration was organized by the Concerned Pensioners Association, a splinter group formed in 2022.

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Yes, it was from our contributions that the union got the money to join hands with the motorcycle association to purchase the governor’s return nomination and expression of interest forms, with the hope that he will redeem the pledges he made to us during the build-up to the 2023 election.

Akosu Orban, the association's chairman, stated that the protest was a direct response to Governor Hyacinth Alia's failure to honor pledges made during the 2023 election campaign. He revealed that the pensioners had contributed funds, alongside the Motorcycle Operators Association, to purchase the governor's nomination and expression of interest forms, believing this would prompt him to address their demands. "But today we regret that step we took to purchase the governor’s nomination and expression of interest forms," Orban told journalists.

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But today we regret that step we took to purchase the governor’s nomination and expression of interest forms.

The pensioners' demands include the payment of pension arrears ranging from 38 to 62 months for state and local government retirees, respectively. They also called for the harmonization of pension rates, citing that some retirees receive as little as N2,000 monthly instead of the approved N40,000. Orban alleged collusion between the state government and the main Nigeria Union of Pensioners, to the detriment of his association's members. He further lamented the severe hardship caused by the non-payment, stating that some pensioners have lost their wives due to their inability to provide for their families.

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Because of hardship occasioned by non-payment of our pension and gratuity, pensioners have lost their wives to okada boys (commercial motorcyclists) because we are no longer productive enough to cater for them.

The group appealed to President Bola Tinubu and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu for intervention. Meanwhile, the state government, through the Commissioner for Finance and Economic Planning, Michael Oglegba, acknowledged an inherited backlog of unpaid pensions and gratuities estimated at N300 billion, the highest in the country. Oglegba assured that the government is making efforts to clear the arrears.

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What we inherited from both local government and state is over N300bn; the highest in the country.