Deltans Urge Okowa To Pay Beneficiaries Of Civil Servants Who Died In Active Service

• As Okowa Escapes From Angry Retirees at Event Center, Asaba.

Beneficiaries of some civil servants, especially teachers who died while in active service have expressed their disappointment and frustration over the Delta State Government failure to pay their benefits to their next of kin.

Some of them who spoke to Gentechnews on the condition of anonymity lamented that the deceased civil servants left behind have been living in abject poverty.

According to them, all the documents needed for them to be paid their deceased relatives benefits have been submitted but have not seen the light of the day as those in charge continue to make unwholesome demands as to how much they will get when such benefits are eventually paid.

“My sister who was a teacher died about eight years ago and all the documents needed for paying her benefits have been processed, but up until now, no payment has been made. Government should also focus on these categories of people who had dependents while in service by ameliorating their suffering and pay them the benefits accrued to their late family members who died in while active service,” the source said.

In a related development, retirees in Delta State also laid siege at the event center, Asaba where the Executive Governor of Delta State Sen. Dr. Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa was to attend an event today.

The retirees who were owed various sums of money as their gratuity and pensions staged a protest at the two entrances of the event center chanting songs and saying that the Governor must pay them their money, that they are tired of empty promises year in year out.

The aggrieved retirees said that Governor Okowa has been deceiving them and from his actions is bent on not paying them their retirement benefits before he leaves office hence they decided to stage this protest here to drive down their grievances.

Governor Okowa who was informed that the retirees are outside the gate laying siege for him cut his stay short  and used a non exit gate, leaving without addressing these despondent elder statesmen and women.

“Majority of our members are dead and their benefactors cannot access their parents’ gratuity for over 5-7 years now with no hope of getting the money,” one of senior citizen lamented.

“Governor Okowa we urge you to pay our fathers and mothers their retirement benefits and save the state this show of shame exhibited today. If you call yourself EKWUEME please act in accordance with your name and save the state from this kind of embarrassments all the time,” they chanted.