THE organisers of a proposed mega protest planned to hold in Benue State against several months of unpaid pensions by the Benue State government have accused the state’s pensioners association of conspiring to truncate the protest, which was billed to hold Wednesday, December 15, 2021 in Makurdi, the state capital.
In a social media post suspending the protest, the coordinator of the Association of Benue Pensioners’ Children (ABPC) who has been in the forefront of the ‘5000 Pensioner’s Children Mega Peaceful Protest’, Mr Ngbede Ofoine Adoka-Ole, stated that the State Chairman of Association of Benue State Pensioners called him to disown ABPC.
According to Adoka-Ole, the leadership of the pensioners association threatened to inform the state government and the security agencies that “they neither know the intending protesters nor support the protest and that if the organisers pressed ahead with the protest, they will be treated as hooligans.
“It is with a painful feeling and unfortunate disappointment that we write to inform all our prepared and ready-to-move fellow Pensioner’s Children from the 23 local governments in Benue State as well as all our resourceful local government coordinators that the State leadership of pensioners association had gone ahead to conspire against us, promised to inform the state government and the security agencies in the state tomorrow that they don’t know us, does [sic] not support our protest and that we are not pursuing their course [sic] neither pressing for their demands; therefore, tagging us as hooligans and the state government as well, the security agencies in Benue State should treat us the intending protesters as such without mercy coupled with series of threat to my dear life since the early hours of today,” Adoka-Ole stated in a social media post last Tuesday evening.
He further stated: “This also was confirmed to me as the State Chairman of Association of Benue State Pensioners called me and vented all that directly to me without equivocation nor pretence.
“On that disturbing and worrisome note, and with a painful heart, we want to appeal to our fellow ready to protest Pensioner’s Children tomorrow that, we have at this point due to this disappointing steps taken by the leadership of Benue Pensioners’ Association decided to SUSPEND tomorrow’s planned 5000 Pensioner’s Children Mega Peaceful Protest scheduled to hold in Makurdi.
“With this abysmal development, we wish to go back to our drawing board to restrategize so as to launch on another date should the state government refused to take heed from the pressure of this very suspended planned protest to do the needful by paying our aged, suffering and dying pensioner parents who are presently being owed 74 months and counting pension and gratuity.”
Some commentators in their reaction to the post, condemned the leadership of the pensioners association, accusing them of feeding fat from the state government.
“Great move! The Exco of the Benue State Pensioners Association are obviously feeding fat from the Benue State Government, and that is why they have sold out! The great thing is that you have made your point and achieved moral high grounds on this issue. If Gov. Samuel Ortom does not feel any sense of remorse and guilt by sending our old, hungry and innocent parents who are pensioners and civil servants to their early graves, like he did to my own dad in February 2021, then we leave everything to God and posterity to judge!” a governorship aspirant, Mr Madaki Ameh stated in response to Adoka-Ole’s post.
Another commentator, Umoru Mohammed responded: “It is very unfortunate that few persons eating from Government table [are] always conspiring against the interest of the majority. They use all means and method to sabotage the good intentions of the Patriot. Should we continue this way? Well I have said this number of times that there is no Government in Benue State.
“Very soon, the 60 billion Naira withdrawn to buy everywhere at home and beyond, are clearly made open by EFCC, then we will know the devil in the saddle. The God of the innocent pensioners shall strike soon.”
