By Jimitota Onoyume

PORT HARCOURT—Rivers State chapter of Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP, has lamented the delay in payment of entitlements to its members by the state government.

Chairman of the body, Mr Edward Festus-Abibo, who spoke in Port Harcourt at a stakeholders forum for pensioners in the state, said they were in pains due to “failure by the government to pay our members their entitlements.”

According to him, the state government had not paid primary school teachers the federal share of their monthly pension, adding that the government had also not paid pension increase for some years.

He said they had embarked on protests and had written several letters to the state government but nothing concrete has come out of them.

Abibo said that the situation had made it impossible for pensioners to celebrate this year’s Pensioners Day.

Appealing to his colleagues to take their cries to God, he said they have nothing to celebrate.

“It is shocking to note that our pensioners are usually owed two or three month in arrears before one month pension allowance is paid to them. We are groaning in misery and hardship. Based on what pensioners of this state are going through, you will agree that there is nothing to celebrate about 2014 Pensioners Day in Rivers State other than to hand over our ugly experiences and situations to God for divine intervention,” he said.