Pensioners vow to mobilise voters against APC in 2023 general elections

Pensioners in Niger State, who staged a protest over unpaid pension and gratuities, have vowed to mobilise the electorate in their communities to vote against All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates in 2023.

The heavy downpour did not deter the pensioners, who were seen in their numbers with placards screaming: “No monthly pension, No gratuity, No vote in 2023.”

Some pensioners told The Guardian that despite Federal Government bail-out to states to settle outstanding pension liabilities, Niger government refused to pay them.

During a peaceful march from Idris Legbo Kutigi Conference Centre to Government House in Minna, spokesman for the pensioners, Ibrahim Mahmud, told Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Ahmed Matane, that they lost many pensioners due to lack of funds to offset medical expenses.

Mahmud explained that the state government was insensitive to the plight of pensioners, noting that they had been abandoned despite several bail-outs and Paris Club refunds the state had received.

“The state has received Paris Club fund and bail-out funds but we did not benefit. You have made beautiful submissions and you expect us to go home and wait? How long would we wait? Your submissions are far from solving our problems; none of our issues has been resolved.

“Take your time. We are resolute. We are not going back home. We will be at the gate until we are paid our money because the state is not prepared to pay us,” the pensioners insisted.

According to them, percentage payment of gratuities will no longer be accepted.

“Our brothers, sisters and parents are dying. We are dying, and we have no money to feed our families, pay rent or treat ourselves when we are sick. We lost two of our pensioners this morning, all because they have no money to treat themselves. The government has abandoned us.”

“Mr. SSG, tell the governor that our protest would continue until we get a concrete resolution. We have over 10,000 pensioners on the ground and we will occupy Government House until we are paid.”

Earlier, the SSG had denied government’s knowledge of any retiree that had not been paid their pension and gratuity.

Stating that the government was seeking means to generate fund to settle pension issues in the state, Matane assured the protesters that the pension issue would be resolved before the end of September.

His words: “There are a lot of anomalies in the pension system in the state that we are trying to resolve. There are ghost pensioners. There are underpaid and overpaid pensioners. There are those who have retired, but haven’t collected pension, and there is non-availability of adequate data of pensioners at the local council level.

“The government is not deliberately hurting pensioners. It is doing its best within available resources. If there is any surplus money, the government puts it into pension.

“Please give us time. Before the end of this month, we will address your issues.”