Cletus Audu, former provost of Gindiri College of Education, Plateau State, has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to call state governors to order over incessant non-payment of pensioners’ entitlements.
Making the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday in Chip, Plateau, Audu said the attitude of some governors over pensioners’ funds was “callous and demeaning.’’
Audu, a retiree, said the manner at which ‘‘government neglects pensioners, some of who died waiting or in pursuit of their gratuities and pensions, attracts curses upon the nation instead of blessings.’’
“It is unfortunate here in Nigeria that it is the government that encourages corruption; if not what do you expect of a civil servant, who knows that after retirement his entitlements will not come as when due?
“In fact, it is a clear message that he or she should steal money while in office so that in retirement, there should be something to fall back on, ’’ he said.
The retiree said that unless there was change of attitude from among the three tiers of government, the fight against corruption in the civil service would be a mirage.
He called on Governor Simon Lalong to rescue Plateau retirees, some of who had spent more than two years without gratuity or pension.
“The worse hit are the retirees of the state tertiary institutions and those in the local government councils; this is my 14th month with no news about my pension and this is not good especially to people who served the state creditably. ’’
According to him, the ‘‘change mantra should be felt by all citizens, especially in Plateau, which is an APC-led government.’’
