RAYMOND OZOJI reports
Anambra state pensioners have described as outright wickedness and man's inhumanity to man for ex-governors Peter Obi, Willie Obiano and the incumbent governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo to decline pension harmonisation thereby leaving pensioners who committed 35 years of active service to the state to wallow in abject penury, privation and squalor.
This was the position of some pensioners who spoke to HEADLINE NEWS in Awka during the 8th State Delegate Conference of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) tagged " Life Of Pensioners In Anambra State And Local Governments Without Harmonisation Of Pension Since The Year 2000. "
They said it was only the administration of Dr. Chris Nwabueze Ngige who pitied the plight of pensioners and harmonised their pensions during his regime after the late Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju's government called pensioners deadwoods and inconsequential citizens.
Mr. Polycap Onwubiko who retired as a Deputy Director(Administration)in the state Ministry of Justice revealed that what he was receiving as pension when he retired in February 2011 is still what he is receiving as pension in 2025, stressing that irrespective of the quantum of money at the disposal of the state government, government has refused to review their pensions; leaving them to suffer and die carelessly over lack of funds for their medical needs and other pressing needs.
Onwubiko therefore recalled that the Nigeria Union of Pensioners wrote letters to Peter Obi and Willie Obiano for pensions to be upgraded. He said both governors instructed the heads of service under their regimes to conduct audit of pensioners which they did but the then governors dumped the audit reports.
Onwubiko further disclosed that Soludo requested for the conduct of pensioners' audit in his first, second, third and fourth year in office but all were to no avail because according to him, no positive action has been taken by the Soludo administration to ameliorate the plights of pensioners in Anambra State.
Onwubiko who said pensioners are dying, maintained that it is unfair as well as outright wickedness and insensitivity on the part of government to treat pensioners with disrespect and disdain by not attending to their request on pension harmonisation as he believes that government has the money to see to it.
He said he is a retired pensioner and he knows what pensioners are passing through, wondering why Peter Obi should rule for 8 years, Willie Obiano 8 years and now Soludo without an atom of empathy for pensioners, describing their attitudes as heartless amidst high cost of living in the country.
He was of the opinion that 90% of the pensioners are living on drugs and unbalanced diet while others can not fuel their jalopies because they don't have money to buy fuel or maintain them even as he vehemently remonstrated that many pensioners have died for not being cared for by the government while the ones still alive are looking pale, sickly and languishing in abject penury.
The retired Deputy Director however pointed out that the major request of Anambra pensioners from government is pension harmonisation to enable them to live meaningful life for the rest of their days on planet earth, noting that government's blatant refusal to review pensions to meet current economic realities in the country amounts to lawlessness, barbarism and disrespect for senior citizens.
Also Chief Richard Obi, a retired Head of Local Government Administration, said that the monthly pension of Anambra pensioners is nothing to write home about and that pension harmonisation has not been done for many years. He said they can't buy anything with the little pension they received monthly and they also need a change in the Executive as one person has been on the saddle for 9 years playing to the gallery.
Meanwhile the newly elected chairman of Anambra State Chapter of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) Comrade Anthony Chukwuemeka Ugozor, said while speaking to journalists shortly after his election, assured that the plights of Anambra pensioners will change for good as he plans to intensify consultations with government to achieve pension harmonisation and other benefits for pensioners in the state.
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