‘We’Ve Been Dehumanised, Our Members Are Dying’—Abia Pensioners Protest 22 Years Unpaid Gratuity

Pensioners in Abia State have stormed the streets protesting 22 years of unpaid gratuity by the state government and over 45 months of unpaid pensions.

The pensioners under the aegis of ‘Concerned Abia Pensioners’ protested on Thursday in major streets in Umuahia seeking the immediate resolution of the matter by the State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu.

Pensioners in the state had protested in April, May and June on the same matter.

The victims seen in a video clip by THE WHISTLER, who are elderly men and women accused the State of being responsible for the rise in the death toll of pensioners.

They claimed that the death toll of the pensioners due to suffering had risen to 15 people on a monthly basis.

They also lamented the unpaid gratuity from 1999-2022 by the State Government.

The pensioners said, ” We have been dehumanised and subjected to unimaginable suffering as death toll ranges to about 10 to 15 old pensioners every month.”