Members of Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP, Rivers State Council and serving Civil Servants of the state, had Tuesday protested over what they described as the insensitivity of Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi led administration, on non-payment of pension wages and salaries for the past 2-6 months in the state.
The joint protesters who besieged the state secretariat as early as 9:am, enumerated on some of the wrong doings of the out-going government of Amaechi, pointed out that the state governor has over the time refused to carter for the welfare of its retired and serving workers.
They opined that the inability of the state government to pay pension wages and salaries as at when due has contributed to the untold hardship and deaths that have been experienced both serving and retired workers in Rivers State. The peaceful protesters which cut-across Ministries of the state government, said will not relent in their agitations, until their demands are met.
Addressing the audience during the event, the state secretary of NUP, Comrade Joseph J. Agbo, slammed the state governor on his refusal to follow other states of the federation that have paid salaries, pension wages and its increases up to date.
He wondered why Rivers State with Internally Generated Revenue, IGR of about N10bn per month, which is far from what is being generated in most states, cannot pay her workers and pensioners. Agbo maintained that the month of January pension that was paid by the state government after several peaceful protest was for the main Civil Servants, leaving those from the University of Science and Technology, UST, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, College of Arts and Science, Bori Polytechnic and other parastatals Pensioners.
The state secretary maintained that the computed pension increases of 6% with effect from 1st October, 2003; 15% from 1st July, 2007 and the recent increase of 33% with effect from 1st July, 2010 have not been paid, despite been sent to the governor for approval and release of fund since two years ago.
Agbo who used the medium to call on Governor Amaechi to pay up their monthly pensions for the months of January, February, March and April, 2015 before he leaves office, berated the out-gone chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Chris Oruge, said that the former leader sold Rivers NLC to Amaechi led government and the reason why workers and pensioners are languishing in penury.
He maintained that Comrade Mrs. Beatrice Itubo who is said to have succeeded Oruge can never be the voice of Labour in Rivers State, since the duo are appendages of Governor Amaechi. Agbo however, accused Mrs. Itubo of elongating her tenure in her mother union, the medical; for the purpose of becoming Rivers NLC boss.
Agbo went further to state that even the medical union, where Itubo hails from has been on strike for the past eight months, which showed that she was already a failure, according him. NUP Secretary in the meantime, confirmed Comrade Prince Ada Williams as the authentic chairman of NLC, Rivers State council.
