Imo Pensioners Decry Non-payment of their pension for 77 months.

Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha

Scores of pensioners in IMO State, on Thursday, began a peaceful protest over the non-payment of pensions between 22 and 77 months by the government.

The aggrieved pensioners barricaded the Okigwe road as well as the entrance to Government House, Owerri.

Led by their state Chairman, Chief Gideon Ezeji, the pensioners called on the State Governor, Rochas Okorocha to elucidate what he did with the bailout fund the state received from the federal government.

They urged President Muhammadu Buhari to call the State Governor Rochas Okorocha to order.

Ezeji said Okorocha “behaves and treats senior citizens in the state disrespectfully.

“Okorocha derives joy in seeing elders in this state come out from time to time to the streets to demand their pension.

“What did Okorocha do with the bailout fund that President Buhari gave to him? We are complaining for the third time.”

The aggrieved pensioners said it was wicked of Okorocha’s government to decide to pay 40 % of the accumulated arrears and gratuities whereas making them to forfeit 60% of their arrears.

“We say no to this latest government’s decide to deny us the payment of 60 % of arrears up to December.

“As at December 2016, the state is owing IMO pensioners between 22 months and 77 months arrears. Our gratuities have remained unpaid since 1998 until date.

“Also, the government has refused to harmonize our pensions since 2000 thus far. All the efforts by the union overseeing the welfare of pensioners haven't yielded any fruit”, they expressed.

Reacting to the allegation, the state government through the Chief Press Secretary to the State Governor, Sam Onwuemeodo said those who kicked off the protest weren't pensioners of the state.

A statement by Onwuemeodo reads partly: “No pensioner in the state was part of that protest.

“Those concerned in the exercise were between the ages of 40-45. and we challenge those concerned to prove us wrong by publishing their names, their autonomous communities, local government areas, years of retirement, wherever they retired from and their identification numbers.”

As tweeted by pulse Nigeria

Rich Nigerian Politicians

Mend Falls Apart with FG

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta gave its supreme support for the organization of President Muhammadu Buhari, the group on Sunday pulled back their support for the administration.

The representative of the defunct activist group, Jomo Gbomo, expressed this in an electronic proclamation issued on Sunday where it passed a vote of no certainty on the government, blaming her for playing legislative issues with the issue of discourse and advancement of the area.


Describing President Buhari as wily, the group said: "We thus request that President Muhammadu Buhari must put a stop to his shrewdness, cunning and un-statesman talk about the Niger Delta region as they have just effectively jeopardized the delicate peace in the area." It additionally asked him to "direct the applicable organization of government to promptly initiate discourse with the Niger Delta district; as appropriately and capably spoke to by PANDEF."

The announcement bemoaned that President Buhari has, for reasons best known to him, held the Niger Delta locale in disdain "while charging or potentially blackmailing the leadership of the area of not being prepared for dialogue though it is the Federal Government who are not prepared or willing to name a group to discourse with the general population."


It alleged that the administration had neglected to respect concessions reached before it consented to declare a truce with militants in the region including the release of the Okah siblings and a few other political prisoners and detainees of underground deception by the present government.

Buhari to militants: Let's negotiate how we'll manage our resources

President Muhammadu Buhari says his administration will persuade "our friends" in the Niger Delta to sit down with it and agree to manage the nation's resources "rather than think of fighting it out."

President Buhari said this at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja on Sunday when the representatives of the Federal Capital Territory paid him a Christmas homage.

He asked his visitors to talk to Nigerians to be patient with his government, saying "We are always thinking about our country and we are thinking about our people. 

"God has given Nigerians a lot of preachers and resources, both human and materials. We'd better do the same thing for our children and grandchildren. 

"I assure you that the country and the people of the country are always uppermost in our minds. Our performance in the North East, Nigerians know that this government is serious."

Buhari the challenges of security and economy which he identified during his election campaign still remained the nation's fundamental problems almost 18 months after he took over.

"I think it is good to select objectives and be honest about it and work towards it. It is now almost 18 months since we resumed here. We are very lucky, I believe some of you followed us during our campaigns and what we identified are still fundamentals problems. 

"The first is security, and we kept on saying whether it is an organisation or a country, we have to first secure it before we can manage it properly. Without security, nothing can work.

"Secondly, the economy and the unemployment of able bodied persons," the president said.