Pensioners take to the streets in Osun claiming they are owed 18 month arrears and 2,000 of them have starved

HUNDREDS of pensioners in Osun State have taken to the streets of the capital Osogbo to protest the non-payment of their gratuities and pension arrears pointing out that thousands of their colleagues have died as a result of hunger.

Leading the demonstration, Prince Ganiyu Salawu, the chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) in the state, said the government is presently owing over 18 months pension arrears with huge gratuities. He accused Governor Rauf Aregbesola of short-changing them, claiming that several billions of naira released to the state by the federal government in bailouts had been siphoned.

Converging at the popular Ayetoro Junction in the state capital, the pensioners carried placards conveying different inscriptions. They included “Aregbesola, pay our pensions, our members are dying," "Over 2000 of our members have died," "Stop the avoidable deaths," "Aregbesola, where is our bail out.”

According to Prince Salawu, the non-payment of pension arrears and gratuities of his members has resulted in over 2,000 deaths in the state. He subsequently called for an urgent intervention of political stakeholders in the state.

Prince Salawu added: “It is unequivocally clear that Governor Aregbesola and the labour union have perfected how to completely enslave the innocent workers. The level of suffering is alarming and unimaginable.

“The essence of federal allocations is to cater for the welfare of the people for them to live a good life but on the contrary, Aregbesola has used money meant to pay salaries and pensions to execute inflated contracts to satisfy his selfish interest. It is also very unfortunate that we have dishonourable members in the Osun State House of Assembly, those who could not protect the interests of the people they represent.

“If truly we have serious representatives in that parliament, how come the governor incur that huge debt under their nose and nothing could be done to prevent such financial recklessness. We are hereby calling every stakeholder in Osun and the federal government to come to our rescue and save our members from further death.”