M
BY: VITALIS UGOH, Calabar
Hundreds of pensioners of Cross River State from the 18 local government area blockaded the Murtala Mohammed Highway protesting non payment of their gratuity years after retirement from service.
It would be recalled that the State Governor, Sen. Ben Ayade in one of his numerous press releases dated October 22nd, 2029 announced that his government is not owing any pensioner a dime as he has cleared all pensions in the state
.
They barricaded one of the major roads to link the state capital to register their grievances over Gov. Ayade’s unwillingness to pay them their emoluments.
Patriotnews gathered that the state government had secretly requested the pensioners to come out today for another routine verification exercise. But, after waiting for several hours without any brief, they were only told to go away that the verification exercise would no longer hold.
Frustrated by this ugly development, the pensioners to decided takeover the highway, sitting comfortably at the middle of the road ensuring that vehicles did not enter Calabar nor leave the state capital.
One of the pensioners told our reporter that “It is sad how the governor treated old people like us. I came all the way from Etung. Some came as far as Obanliku for this exercise. We sat here for several hours without any word from anyone, only for them to tell us that the exercise would not hold today”,
“We have been here on several occasions for this same verification exercise and when we leave, they cook stories and spread out. The last time, we left they prepared a report which named all of us as ghost pensioners. The report claimed that we all have died. We are ghosts. So, you are talking with a ghost now.”
“We are blocking the highway. What kind of ghosts block highways? Let the governor be told that ghosts are out here blocking the road”.
In a swift response from the State Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Mrs. Stella Odey, the state government still insists they are not owing any pensioner a dime, except for ghost pensioners..
