By Ijendu Iheaka
Dec. 28, 2016
Mr Victor Nwogwugwu, Chairman, Abia State University Teaching Hospital, (ABSUTH) Pensioners on Wednesday begged Dr Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia state to remember to pay them while fulfilling his promise to clear workers outstanding salaries soon.
Nwogwugwu disclosed this in an interview with our reporter in Aba on Wednesday.
The pensioner had reacted to Ikpeazu's promise to Abia workers at Ohanze-Isiahia, in Obingwa Local government on Monday where he swore to use 50 per cent of theN10.6 billion refund from Paris Club to clear salary backlogs.
"We the ABSUTH Pensioners want to remind the governor that when the first federal government bail-out fund was receieved by Abia state, salaries were paid with it but we the ABSUTH pensioners did not benefit from it like our other pension counterparts in other government agencies.
"Now that the governor has made a promise to pay off workers' salary arrears with half of the money he has received from Paris Club, he should remember ABSUTH Pensioners and workers.
"We are human beings but have kept quiet over the bad treatement given us until now to give this government room to reciprocate our good gestures of peace with the reward of paying up our 3 years pension arrears", he said.
Nwogwugwu said that for three years while other pensioners in the state were enjoying their pensions, ABSUTH Pensioners were left to suffer.
He said that the resulting suffering had led to the death of many of their workers.
"You know that old age comes with health challenges which requires money take care of by way of medical maintenance but the debt owed us had caused the death of some of our colleagues who were sick but could not access medical care
because their pensions were being withheld", he said.
He urged the government "in the spirit of fairness" to pay all ABSUTH Pensioners from the level of a cleaner to that of a medical doctor when the payment of workers salary backlog starts next week.
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