By Marie-Therese Nanlong

Jos—Pensioners in Plateau State yesterday blocked the entrance to the state secretariat demanding an upward review of their current N5,140 monthly pension to a more humane sum.

They also protested the delay in the payment of the N5,140 monthly pension, saying the payment had not been made in the last six months, even when as much as N4 billion gratuity was being owed them by the state government.

The protest, which took the pensioners from Plateau State Pensions Board on Bank Road across GRA to Joseph Gomwalk Secretariat, saw the protesters displaying placards with inscriptions as “The aged are suffering, treat them with kindness”; “We can’t pay our children’s school fees”; “Many have died. Many more are dying. Pay our pension”; among others.

It would be recalled that executives of the union held a meeting last week and decided to stage the protest rally yesterday and Thursday, February 12.

They also resolved that the demonstration rallies would continue every Monday and Thursday of every week till the state government addressed their plights.

Chairman of the state chapter of National Union of Pensioners, NUP, Chief Sunday Danladi, said: “Government had not been regular in paying even the current N5,140 monthly pension. The government of Plateau State is not taking care of pensioners at all. We have for months been writing letters on harmonization, review of pension but to no avail.

“We did Christmas without arrears and up to now, there is no monthly pension, and our members are dying. We’ve been petting our members and now our backs are to the wall.

“We held a congress meeting last Week and got approval for a peaceful demonstration starting on Monday, February 9, 2015, to show our grievances against the government.”