Pensioners in Cross Rivers have protested over the non-payment of their gratuities by the Cross River state government since 2014.
“As I talk to you, many of us are yet to receive January pension,” said Dr. Eyo Eyo, Chairman of the Cross River State Chapter of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP. He disclosed that only around half of the pensioners have received an alert regarding the January pension and that has been the trend.
He also noted that because of an ordinary memo, the N50 million that was supposed to be earmarked for payment of Gratuity as directed by Governor Ben Ayade has not been forthcoming.
While corroborating the NUP chairman, Monday Ogbodum, Chairman of the State Council of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, explained that the N50 million that was supposed to be set aside for the payment of gratuities has been stalled due to the inability of the immediate past HoS to raise a memo to that effect.
Mrs. Lydia Okon, a former Deputy Director in the Ministry of Agriculture, bemoaned her predicament, saying she has been receiving her pension “a month after civil servants and political office holders have been paid.” Nobody has told me anything about gratuity since I retired and applied for payment of my gratuity three years ago.”
Mr. Joe Adie, the Cross River State Accountant-General, said the government was figuring out how to pay retirees’ gratuities from the N50 million set aside monthly for that purpose, as instructed by the state governor.
