Imo retirees, under the aegis of Nigerian Pensions Union (NPU), yesterday lamented over 80 months pension arrears owed members by the state government.

Secretary of the State Chapter of the NPU, Livinus Ashiegbu, who spoke on behalf of the retirees on an Owerri-based private radio station, Hot FM discussion programme, said that as of last week, data record obtained by them indicated that over 100 of their members had died without receiving several months arrears of their pensions largely owed by the immediate past administration in the state.

According to him, retirees of the Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education (AIFCE) are owed over 80 months.

He alleged that N26 billion bail-out fund, which was earmarked for payment of their pensions, was misused by the immediate past administration, regretting that over two months into the present administration of Governor Emeka Ihedioha, they were still suffering without any payment.

Meanwhile, Ihedioha has restated the readiness of his administration to commence payment of pensions in the state within the shortest period of time.

He enjoined the pensioners to exercise a little more patience with the government to address the issue.

The governor, who gave the assurance while on inspection of the ongoing capturing of the over 29,000 pensioners’ files and data at the Government House yesterday, said: “We did promise our pensioners that we are going to pay them but it is important that we verify those we are going to pay.”

•Excerpted from a report by The Guardian.