Pensioners, who retired from the Cross River State civil service between 2012 and 2016 yesterday marched on the streets of Calabar, protesting their unpaid gratuities.
The protesters carried placards reading: “Gratuity is our right, not a privilege”; “Give us our right while we are alive”; “Labour, stop fighting retirees over gratuities”; “Our children and wards are out of school”.
Their coordinator, Mr. Paul Idagu, 60, who retired from the Cross River Broadcasting Corporation in 2013, told reporters life after service without money was not easy.
“Four years after I retired from service, life has not been easy. I find it very difficult to pay my children’s school fees and other relatives who are dependent on me.
“About two weeks ago, I heard of two people who died while battling different illnesses. It is so unfortunate that the government is not responsive to our plight,” he lamented.
Another retiree, Mr. Paul Ogbeche, who left in December 2013, accused the government of not responding to their plight.
He said: “We have written to the government severally, advising it to set aside some money received from the federal allocation to pay pension and gratuities, but to no avail.
“We were told that so much money has been kept in a bank for that purpose but we have not seen it.
“Are they waiting for us to die before they begin payment? We have worked for 35 years; we deserve this money. The government should give us this money because it is our right and not a privilege.”
Mrs. Theresa Okoi, who retired in 2012, said she withdrew her children from tertiary institutions and sent them to learn trade because she could no longer pay their fees.
“It is unfortunate that after working for 35 years, we have to beg for our money to be paid. I have withdrawn my children from the higher institutions because I am no longer capable of paying their fees,” she lamented.
Commissioner for Finance Mr. Asuquo Ekpenyong told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in a telephone interview the government was looking into the matter.
“We are processing the payment of their outstanding gratuities. We are looking at the possibilities of settling them accordingly.
“We all understand the current economic situation in the country; this is not an issue that is peculiar to Cross River alone.
“We are looking at ways to settle them,” he said.