The Miserable Plight of Imo State Pensioners: A true story

This is a true story; it is the story about my great aunt, Ethelbert. We call her Nda Ethel or Nda for short. My mother though married in Anambra state was originally from Ihiagwa, an autonomous community in Owerri West Local Government Area, Imo state, Nigeria. (Every community in that Imo state is autonomous; one day autonomous states will start emerging out of Imo state). Nda Ethel is her aunt, so Nda is my great aunt, my grandfathers’ sister. In Owerri parlance, Nda is a sign of reverence. Elders unlike in uncouth Anambra state are not addressed by their first names but revered, hence Nda.

Nda Ethel was born in 1928 making her eighty years this year; remember she is my grandfathers’ sister. Nda is in great health save for the odd arthritis here and there. She is one hundred percent mobile and very sprightly but most remarkably, her faculties are very, very intact. Very intact that she reads The Economist magazine, in my last trip to Nigeria, which was in March this year, I gave her previous copies of The Economist magazine that I have saved.

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You can guess by now that Nda is very educated, yes very educated for her generation. She attended primary school at Owerri in the 1930’s and progressed from there. At school in 1938, she was the sprint champion in the then 110 and 220 yards for Owerri province. The records might not be there anymore in any Imo State government held records for the government like Nigerian government is a joke. But Nda still holds on to her records dearly, but more so the British government still holds the record at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. I, Odenigbo have seen them. What a great country UK is?

After Nda’s education she started work in the 1950’s with the then Easter Nigerian civil service at the hospital sector to East Central State government and finally retired in the 80’ as an employee of Imo state government, so her pension liability lies with Imo state government.

Since retirement Nda’s pension payment has been erratic, infact very erratic. Pension payment is a statutory obligation for any government. It is a legal contract between the pensioners and the government, it is not a favour by the government to the pensioners but in Nigeria and more especially in Imo state, this appears to be the case. The government religiously breaks its own side of the agreement. The government just does not honour its obligation to pensioners. When pension payments are made, the government makes a big deal in the media about it as if they are doing pensioners a favour whereas all it is doing is keeping its own side of a contract. But that is Nigeria for you.

Nda was last paid her pension by the Imo state government in 2002 under then Governor Achike Udenwa. Yet in every budget, pension payments are factored in. What then happens to the money? Achike Udenwa is today walking the streets a free man rather than been locked up by EFCC for embezzling Nda’s pension. That EFCC, I do not understand how they function but lets leave the issue for another day.

How Nda and the rest of Imo state pensioners have been surviving only God knows but the Lord God always looks after his people and has been looking after Nda and the rest. Looking after Nda so well that people doubt her age. But there are other pensioners that just need their money to survive for that is all they have got and in Imo state (and other states) they are denied this pittance that are factored in yearly in every budget. The big question then is: what happens to funds budgeted for pension payments? Imo state government, what has been happening to Nda’s money?

Achike Udenwa’s government we all know was a disaster, the government that sank so low embezzling Nda’s pension. But then enters Ikedi Ohakim’s government in 2007 shouting from the rooftops like Pentecostals; how they are the messiah come to save Imo state, come to resurrect Biafra, come to salvage Nigeria but most importantly come to pay Nda her pension. Unfortunately, very unfortunately since May 2007 to date, Governor Ohakim has failed to pay Nda her pension. It is rather sad and indeed pathetic that Governor Ohakim has sank as low as Achike Udenwa in misappropriating Nda’s pension. How did I know? Provisions were made for the payment in 2007 and 2008 budgets and yet to date Governor Ohakim has refused to pay Nda her money, her legal entitlement. Ochinanwata, what has Nda done to you?

A visit to Imo state government website on http://www.imostate.gov.ng under subheadings Projects Update and/or Activity Reports shows totally blank reports. Does this imply nothing is happening in Imo state under Governor Ohakim, projects or activity speaking? Are they so busy feasting on Nda’s pension that they have forgotten why they are in office?

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This Easter period, a certain Chief Longers Anyanwu, who styles himself as the Imo state commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources have been announcing to people that his government via his ministry have rice for sale at subsidised prices. How subsidised I do not know. But more importantly how does Chief Anyanwu expect Nda whom they owe her pension to afford the rice or are pensioners like Nda excluded from savouring the pleasures of rice in Ohakim’s Imo state. This appears to be the case. This I believe. Hence the title of this article: The Miserable Plight of Imo State Pensioners.

This is a true story, my great aunt, Ethelbert Orji who dutifully served Imo state government for over 40 years, now eighty years of age has had her pension entitlement embezzled by the government of Imo state. Nda Ethel can be reached on telephone on +44 (0) 7956367576 for verification.

 

Odenigbo Chidi Anyaeche

London

UK