Delta Retirees Protest Unpaid Pension, Barricade Govt House

Retirees from primary schools across 25 local government areas of the state on Monday barricaded the Delta State seat of power over nonpayment of pension.

The retirees who wore black attires carried placards of different inscriptions such as “Wicked Okowa pay us our pensions,’ and ‘Okowa you are owing the living and the dead’ among others.

They stopped vehicular movement in and out of the government house as well as the popular Anwai road causing heavy gridlock along the road as many of them sat on the road with mat, shouting “Only Okowa will address us.”

The Spokesman for the protesters, Reverend Friday Johnny said the Government was insensitive to their plight, alleging that the state had money to clear their pension arrears.

The aggrieved retirees who waited for hours for Governor Okowa to address them, had earlier rejected the state commissioner for finance, Fidelis Tilije who came to calm them.

Meanwhile, Delta State Government had few days ago, said it had approved N2.5billion as grants for payment of primary school retirees.

The State Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu told newsmen in Asaba that it was the responsibility of local government councils to pay local government retirees including those from primary schools.

He also said the administration of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa had been assisting local governments with grants to ease payment of pension arrears.