From: Clement Adeyi, Osogbo
There was tension in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, on Wednesday, when pensioners from the state’s civil service trooped to the streets to protest non-payment of their gratuities and pension arrears.
The protesters, under the aegis of the Forum of Osun Pensioners, carried placards with different inscriptions such as: “Ogbeni Aregbesola, pay our gratuity and pension arrears because our people are dying,” “Buhari, save our souls from Osun tyrant, Ogbeni Raid Aregbesola.”
The protesters trekked in their numbers from Aiyetoro area to Olaiya Junction and later terminated at the Secretariat, Abere, where they officially lodged their complaints to government officials.
The protest triggered traffic gridlock on the major roads within the town, particularly the Olaiya Junction, and made vehicular movements hectic.
Daily Sun gathered that the pensioners had not been paid their gratuities covering 2008-2012 and 9 months pension arrears.
Chairman of the forum, Mr. Ilesanmi Omoniyi, who spoke on behalf of the protesters, called on the state government to consider their plights and pay them their dues without delay.
Omoniyi lamented that despite the Federal Government’s intervention by releasing over N83. 9 billion to pay the backlog of gratuities and areas to pensioners, government did not deem it necessary to do the needful.
He alleged that the state government diverted the money for other purposes that do not affect their personal welfare.
Omoniyi also lamented that over 2,000 of his members had lost their lives as a result of poverty and starvation.
“Many of my members have died. In fact, about 2,000 of them have lost their lives due to the hardship which they were unable to withstand,” he said.
He said the forum had been pleading with the state government for over five years to pay its members their pension arrears and gratuity but to no avail.
He disclosed that the forum had written several letters of appeal to the governor and other government officials but had not got any positive response up till now.
During the protest Omoniyi also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in their plight and demand.
He also called on Governor Rauf Aregbesola to alleviate the sufferings of his members by paying them their dues up to date.
Though the protest was peaceful, scores of personnel from security agencies such as the Nigerian Police and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were seen monitoring the action to forestall a breach of peace, law and order.