Why we halted protest against Govt -Borno pensioners

The protest was initially staged for Wednesday which was the end of an ultimatum given to the state government by pensioners over the non-payment of their arrears which has accumulated since three years. “We only learnt this morning that he travelled to Minna to attend the burial of late former First Lady, Hajiya Maryam Babangida, […]

The protest was initially staged for Wednesday which was the end of an ultimatum given to the state government by pensioners over the non-payment of their arrears which has accumulated since three years.

“We only learnt this morning that he travelled to Minna to attend the burial of late former First Lady, Hajiya Maryam Babangida, so we can’t hold the protest because he is away. We however commiserate with the former president,” said Alhaji Yusufu Suya, the Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners in Borno.

Alhaji Suya told Kanem Trust that apart from Borno State, all other states of the federation had  paid pension and gratuity arrears. “We complained to the governor through the NLC before the 2009 hajj pilgrimage. After this failed, we employed other means, but nothing was done. So, we planned this mass protest to ensure that our demands were met,” the chairman stated.

A pensioner, Alhaji Konto Damboa, said, “we are suffering, we want the state governor to pity us by paying us our arrears and reviewing the pensions and gratuity in line with what is obtainable in most states. Borno State has the lowest pension. Other states like Bauchi and Yobe get between N7,500 and N10,000. We get between N2,000 and N4,400. The government should remember that we have children who are in school. We need to eat and we need medical care. How do we achieve all these with the meagre amount they give us?”