Benue Pensioners Shut Down Government House

Less than a week after they issued a threat, pensioners in Benue State on Wednesday shut down Government House, Makurdi over non-pay-payment of their pension allowances and gratuities.

The retirees lamented that the state government was owing them entitlements and gratuity spanning 25 months.

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Recall that the pensioners had on Friday last week vowed to embark on a protest across the state, if the government failed to pay their pensions and gratuities by Wednesday.

The pensioners, in a statement signed by their leaders, Peter Ikyado and James Mac-Mtsor, accused the state government of using divide-and- rule tactics to create division amongst them.

The statement titled, ‘Notification to embark on an indefinite peaceful protest’ noted that they had run out of patience after writing series of letters to the government to remind it of their plight.

The statement read in part, “The situation is rather deteriorating as government has extended its segmentation payment at the local government level to the state, thereby instituting a “divide-and-rule” system and disunity amongst the pensioners.

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“In the light of the foregoing, the pensioners, both at the state and local government levels have decided to embark on an indefinite peaceful protest across the State with effect from September 4, 2019 until our demands are met.”

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