Pensioners in Umuahia, have once again protested over continuous non payment of arrears of their salaries.
The protesting pensioners who carried placards with anti government inscription held motorists to ransom when the elderly men blocked Bende road to create awareness over their plight in the hands of the
state government.
The elderly pensioners in their tens had also blocked the dual carriage Bende road with more than 30 desks, with most of them sitting down on the benches and on the tarred road, praying silently and others praying loudly against the state government.
Others were seen pouring libation with what looked like water and saying various unprintable things against the state government.
It took the intervention of the combined team of the men of Umuahia Central Police Station, led by its Divisional Police Officer, Udeviotu Onyeke and the men of Abia State Command led by its Police Public Relations Officer, Nta Ogbonnaya Nta to plead with the octogenarians to vacate the road which is about five metres from the central police Station , Umuahia.
Speaking with newsmen, the Umuahia Branch Chairman of the National Union of Pensioners, Abia State, Deacon Amaugo Daniel disclosed that their grievances were that this present governor is insensitive to their plight, saying there have been promises without fulfillment.
“The pensioners are dying daily because of lack of money, some of us are owned 12 months pension, should it be so? There are people who have patients in the hospital, but cannot secure their hospital bill” .
“We served this state for more than 35 years, suffered and now we cannot eat the fruit of our labour. We are hungry and dying on daily basis and those of us who are tenants can no longer pay our rent because we are not being paid, our demand now is that the governor should come and pay us”.
Deacon Amaugo, who led others, said the union had earlier written to the state governor on the issue and was yet to receive any response from him.
The Abia State government refused to comment when contacted.