intervene and rescue them from penury, poor health and avoidable
death", following the non-payment of their pensions and gratuities by
the state government.
A large crowd of pensioners, who gathered at Ezinihitte Mbaise local
government area, lamented bitterly that untimely death was steadily
depleting their ranks.
They passionately appealed to Governor Rochas Okorocha to not only
look with pity on senior citizens, but also remember that pensioners
used their youthful energies to serve the state and country.
"We have really suffered untold hardship, hunger, disease and death,
following the refusal or neglect of government, to pay our
entitlements regularly. We are no longer strong to carry placards",
Nwachukwu said.
Answering a question during a recent parley with journalists in
Owerri, Governor Okorocha affirmed that "payment of pensions and
collection of internally generated revenue", remains his biggest
problems in the state.
The governor wondered why the money needed to pay pensioners suddenly
rose over and above what his predecessor in office was paying when he
came on board in 2011.