Nigeria Union of Pensioners Endorses Ize-Iyamu For Governor, Says Oshiomhole is a Fraud
FREEPRESS – A 75-year old man, Mr. Joseph Ogbele at the weekend wept openly at Aduwawa near Benin City, over the refusal of the Edo state government to pay him 14-months arrears of pensions.
The incident happened during a flag stop by the campaign team of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the PDP governorship candidate to Ikpoba-Okha local government area of the state.
Mr. Ogbele who introduced himself as a retiree was burst into tears while narrating his ordeals to the crowd of PDP supporters who had gathered in an open space owing to the ban on the use of public schools promises for PDP campaigns by Edo state government.
He lamented the pains and sufferings of his family since his pension was stopped in 2015 , and said, “I worked in the state Ministry of works for 35-years and when I retired he (Oshiomhole) refused to pay me anything”.
“My children are suffering. Many of them are out of school because I cannot pay the school fees. We have borrowed money from everywhere and nobody wants to give us again”.
Mr. Ogbele’s submission was corroborated by another pensioner, Mr. Benson Osagie, a retired treasurer with Ikpoba-Okha local government at Ugbekun also near Benin City, where the party held another rally.
He said, “Before the exit of Chief Lucky Igbinedion as governor he paid me my gratuity and pension and put me on the pension list since August 2000. I retired in February 2000”.
“My pension was N11, 500 Naira in 2000 as I retired on level 13 but with the harmonization Chief Lucky Igbinedion gave us my pension is about N26, 000 per month but Oshiomhole has refused to pay us”.
“But since May 2015 I have not been receiving my pension. It is now about one year and two months. My family is living in penury which the Edo state government has put me by refusing to pay me my pensions”.
According to Osagie, Governor Oshiomhole has demonstrated his hatred for the pensioners in the state. “Many of us have died each time we go for regular screening that never yield any positive results. We were always hoping the screening will make him pay us but he has refused to pay,” he said.
During their street protest last week, the leadership of the Senior Citizens in the state said at least nine pensioners have died in the last seven months waiting for the Edo state government to pay them their retirement benefits.
The immediate chairman of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners Mr. Gabriel Osewenkhai who disclosed this during the protest by hundreds of pensioners through major streets of Benin City, the state capital said the trend was dehumanising.
The two pensioners said they are hopeful that a new government will reverse the misfortune that has befell pensioners in Edo state hence their support for Pastor Ize-Iyamu.
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