Military pensioners to boycott April polls over arrears

By Emma Arubi & Akpokona Omafuaire

WARRI – FEW weeks to the general election, the National Association of Military Pensioners has said it will boycott the polls should the Federal Government fail to implement the new salary rate, promising to embark on a massive protest on the election days.

The pensioners  in a statement  by their National President, Mr Eromafuru Benson, in Warri, weekend, said their position was arrived at, “after a meeting of our people  at Agbarho, Delta State and after x-raying the difficult moments of our  military pensioners.

“Some of those examples were the exposure of our people to hunger at the front of the military pension board by the Obasanjo administration during which thousand died as if they were refugee from Somalia.”

He lamented that the increment of 22% to workers and pensioners in 2005, which was followed by 12 ½ % in 2007 that has accumulated till 2009 cannot be explained nor accounted for.

He further said “in March 2011, the hopes of  many pensioners were dashed when they received bank alerts from some new generation bank for money paid, but on getting there, it was a sham as no money was paid, while the  management of the bank apologising for the embarrassment.”

He regretted that their decision was based on the inability of the government to pay them, saying, “when will it be paid including an additional 6.1% that has not been paid?  We are fed up with Mr. President and we can no longer continue like.”

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