Retirees in Delta State have refuted claims that the state government has completely paid in full their gratuities and called on Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to come to their rescue.

Media reports credited to the Bureau of Local Government Pensions, Asaba had claimed that the state government has paid their gratuities in full up to September 2024. The report was attributed to the Secretary to the Bureau, Mr Frank Atube during an ongoing sensitisation and enlightenment tour stop in Koko, Warri North LGA.

To correct the misinformation the retirees, Wednesday, October 15, mobilized to Okpe local government council secretariat, one of the Bureau sensitisation and enlightenment tour stop, where they staged a peaceful protest to refute the claims of government.

Carrying placards with various inscriptions, two groups of the retirees, Forum for Local Government retirees and Association of Retired Primary School Teachers in a joint statement by Pst Daniel Onosanimoni, Prince Gordon Etuwede, Bldr Godwin Ekeleni and Comrade John Egie, Chairmen and Secretaries; restated that payment of their gratuities were short by between N2 million and N10 million following a pension review conducted by a consultant.

Engaged by Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON).

They accused the consultant of altering key parameters, including increasing the bond rate from 10% to 13.5%, which they said caused a 52% cut in pension values

The retirees described the review as “retrospective, unfair, and unconstitutional.”

Onosanimoni appealed to the governor to correct the deductions, while Etuwede lamented that some retirees who should have received ¦ 12 million got as little as ¦ 650,000.

The groups demanded an immediate refund, a review of the consultant’s work, and a return to the former pension template to restore equity and justice.

“This is to appeal to the Governor to pay us the balance of our pension. We appreciate him for the N40 billion loan and paying us till September 2024. But these payments have not gone without some deductions. It is the deductions we want him to pay for us.

“We had a template for payment prior to now, but government introduced another consultant who came and manipulated the parameters, and changed the tables, the computation, resulting in these deductions.

“We are already retired. If he wants to do review we are not against that, but it should be futuristic. Because we are already retired, some six, seven years, we know our old figure. It is that old figure we want him to pay us.

“All reviews are always positive, but his is negative which brought this negative outcome. Anytime government is doing review, they do it upward, so we expect him to also review this thing upward.

“More so, as the money we are talking about was accumulated since 2011. If he changes the parameters, he should give us a corresponding interest rate of 13 or 15 per cent,” Onosanimoni told newsmen.

On his part, Prince Gordon Etuwede lamented how the review affected retirees, causing low spirits, with some even collapsing.

Etuwede said: “For 35 years of service, they paid N3.5 million instead of N12.5 million. It is an assault on us.” (Sunday Vanguard)