Edo State Government has vehemently denied claims by some protesting senior citizens last Wednesday that they are being owed huge sums of money as pensions and gratuities.
Addressing reporters on Sunday afternoon, the state Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, said those making the claims are being clever by half even as he alleged that they were instigated by “those people who were the cause of the problem of their gratuities not been paid.”
Nehikhare said: “Edo State Government under the leadership of Governor Obaseki has paid all the arrears of pension, those inherited.
“And those under his government have been paid up-to-date. There is no pensioner today that is being owed pension.”
According to him the pensioners that the Edo State Government presently have issues with are those who retired during Comrade Adams Oshiomhole tenure.
“Oshiomhole whose reckless government was the one that created this problem that we inherited and we’re trying as much as possible to sort out.”
Going further, he disclosed that “just last year Edo State Government paid out N1 billion as gratuities to pensioners. Those people that were on TV to say no gratuity has been paid were been clever by half. That’s not true.
“Last year close to a billion naira was paid and this year we have budgeted another one billion naira for the payment of gratuities to our senior citizens.”
