With news of the Nigerian President Mohammadu Buhari ordering the immediate sharing of the remaining balance of the Paris Refund to all state governors in Nigeria with the strict directives to utilize the money for complete payment of all state workers' and pensioners' salaries, pensions and other entitlements respectively, Imolites have been expressing fear over the compliance of the state governors. According to public opinion, this concern is hinged on the unhealthy way and manner in which the previous Paris dow out to the state was utilized by the Governor of Imo state Owelle Anayo Rochas Okorocha.
It has been on record that the Imo pensioners have been largely under-paid ever since the second tenure of the present Imo state administration came on board in 2015. It is also on record that at some point, the Imo state government offered to pay her pensioners only 40% of eleven months arreas of pensions while some collected only 40% of ten months arreas. That was irrespective of whether any pensioner was owed 15, 18, 20 months as the case may be. Of course, this took place late last 2016.
Few months ago, another round of payment was issued via cheques to the Imo state pensioners. this time, it was only 3 months of pension arreas irrespective of how many months were actually being owed. To add to their plight, most pensioners complained that some varied amounts were deducted from their money. Summarily, most pensioners received incomplete amounts meant for the so called 3 months pension arreas. More interesting was the fact that some of the issued cheque could not even pull through during the cashing process.
This post is not meant to discredit the effort of the Imo state government in its effort to attend to the problems of Imo pensioners. Rather, there is need to criticize the government where it has not made progress. Pensioners are the most vulnerable people in the society and ironically, the most respectable category of the citizenry who gave their active life in the service of the government and the people. Should their be failure on the part of governancer, it should never be in the aspect of giving to the retired pensioners their constitutional rights - thgeir pensions. Paying pensions to retirees is not a priveledge, it is their right. In organized societies, the government can be sued for failing to meet up with that obligation. Even to delay the payment of monthly pensions should be enough to initiate impeachment moves against the government.
capital projects or not, infrastructural development or not, security vote or not, pensioners ought to be regularly paid. To ensure a credible and transparent database of pensioners in the4 state, regular verifications may be organised but nothing must prevent any retired senior citizen of the state from receiving his pensions at month end.
Now that the Federal government of Nigeria has begun the process of disbursing the remaining balance of the Paris club refund to state governors for the sole purpose of settling all outstanding salaries of workers and pensions of retired citizens, the Imo sdtate government must not be found wanting this time. The 100% payment of pensions and salaries without any undercut in Imo state is indeed a litmus test to the APC administration and also a decisive factor in the return of APC to the Imo state government house come 2019.
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