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By:Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
Pensioners in Bayelsa state under the aegis of Bayelsa pensioners association, BPA have berated the state governor Seriake Dickson for not being sensitive to their welfare.
The retirees during a press briefly in Yenagoa, Thursday described the Dickson administration as a debtor government, saying members of their association are owed arreas and gratuities for a period no fewer than 8 years, stressing that from the inception of the present administration to date issues of gratuities have not been attended to.
Addressing journalists, chairman of the state pensioners association, GKS Bodi-Amaran pleaded with the state government to off-set the debts owed members of his association, accusing the government of being the mastermind of the ordeals facing pensioners in the state.
According to Bodi-Amaran upon pleading and calling the attention of the government to problems facing retirees in the state on several fora, with the government paying lip service to their request, they are duty bound as Nigerians and eligible electorates to vote en masse for candidate from any of the opposition parties who would come to their succour in the next guber election.
He said, “As leaders of the Bayelsa state pensioners association, we are calling on all pensioners in the state to be calm and await further directives on who to vote as governor by pensioners on November 16th. BPA remains non-partisan but will continue to fight and protect the interest of pensioners by being open to consultations.”
Further statements issued by the pensioners association even as they took a swipe on the government whom they alleged has previously harassed them reads in parts as follows: “fellow Bayelsans, we are deeply saddened to recall that as senior citizens who gave our all patriotic service, we have also suffered molestation, harassment and beating by hired thugs for simply attempting to express our pains.”
The association said they are not in a hurry to stop demanding and pressing on for their rights until the government finally solve their question, maintaining that they have a put in their best during their service years to make governance better.
You would recall that retired public servants in Bayelsa state sometime in 2016/2107 were alleged to have been man handled by thugs suspected to have been commissioned by government loyalist in the state during a peaceful protest to demand for their severance packages and emoluments.
