The Last Bus-Stop for Rivers State Pensioners

Pension is an amount of money paid regularly by the government or a company to a person who has worked for over 30 years but does not work anymore for one reason or the other. It was in the time of Governor Chibuike Amaechi that most of the Rivers State pensioners received their pension regularly. Now, retired civil servants of Rivers State have nothing to say over their pension talk of gratuity.

As of 2018, total debt in pension was over 60billion. In June 2019, Governor Wike announced the commencement of payment of pensions under the contributory pension scheme. It was a wild headline yet one will wonder why in 2020, pensioners threatened to protest over the Governor’s unwillingness to pay them their pensions. These are the hard work of fathers and mothers that are supposed to serve as an anchor while they no longer work.

In 2021, the pensioners stormed the streets and the government house still demanding their pay.

And this is 2022, what next is on the line, what is the next action that will definitely entertain the government?

On the 11^th of February, these elderly men and women decided and held a prayer, praise and worship session and sought God to compel the Governor to pay them their pension. After 35 years of hard work, they deserve to be paid their entitlements, after serving with youthful strength, what else is better than giving them their right?

This is the magnitude of wickedness in an oil rich state and many have tagged the governor a man who does not have respect for elders, pension and gratuity have been captured in the budget for over four years yet not a part of it has been paid.

Just like cow is now more important than human lives in Nigeria, that is how flyovers and giving free money to other states are now more important than pension.

While some have commented that religion is too much and that is the reason for the prayer, many have debunked the stance and stated that the pensioners have indeed done so much, all to no avail, hence, they have to pitch their trust on the only Trustworthy Entity. What kind of protest will these elderly ones hold that they haven’t done to touch the government haven lost over 300 colleagues in the process or should their children join in the protest and get killed?

It is the final bus-stop again for another Nigeria issue. Everything boils down to God which we must say is not bad.