PENSIONERS PRAY FOR ORTOM

"May God Almighty Punish Any Body Who Is Out To Fight The Government Of Benue State In Jesus Name. Amen!"
- Benue Pensioners
By Gurgur Japheth MP

His Excellency, Samuel Ortom today, met with Association of Pensioners who paid him a visit over their welfare condition. The discussion was factored on the recent Bail Out Package of the Federal Government to States, which excluded the arrears accruable to pensioners. They also informed the Governor that since 2002, there has been no pension increment in the state, which has made the value of pension in Benue insignificant looking at the excruciating realities inflation. Emphasizing that there are people who receive as little as less than N2,000 as monthly pension.

In his response, His Excellency, Samuel Ortom appreciated the words of wisdom and prayers offered his administration by the pensioners, and promised to see to it that their plight is properly considered with rapt attention.

The governor informed the Senior Citizens that he shall be leaving this evening for Abuja, where he is billed to meet with the President Mohammadu Buhari to discuss the matter with him. And as a military pensioner himself, Mr. President will surely and graciously consider their issues.

His Excellency stated that it is for the sole reasons like the pension matter that he wants to get to the roots of how we have found ourselves where we are today, having received lump sum amounts of money's to the tune of N7.5billion for SURE-P, for instance, without any evidence of what it has been used for. Stressing that the former Governor, Suswam is his friend but on the issue of missing Moneys, they are not friends.
He therefore must get to the root of the matter.
As a proactive response to the issue of Pension Review, Governor Ortom requested the pensioners to choose from among them, a sincere representative who would serve in his government as Senior Special Assistant on Pension Matters, through whom the demands, aspirations and challenges of pensioners in Benue would be officially channeled.
In a unanimous decision, the pensioners chanted the name of Dr. Abuku, who was immediately appointed by the Governor amidst choruses of solidarity.