BEVERLY HILL, June 30, (THEWILL) – Pensioners under the aegis of Forum of 2011/12 Retired Public Servants of Osun on Friday barricaded the entrance to the State Secretariat, preventing workers from entering their offices to carry out the day’s task.
The protest, which is said to have began on Thursday with the blocking of the Olaiya Junction in Osogbo, followed the claim by pensioners of non payment of 13 months pension and gratuity arrears by the state government.
Addressing newsmen on the sidelines of the protest, Chairman of the group, Mr. Omoniyi Ilesanmi said the action would be sustained until their demands were met.
“Yesterday’s (Thursday) is not enough to press home our demand as we will from Monday next week start barricading all the major roads leading to the state capital until all our benefits are paid,’’ he said
Ilesanmi said there was no truth in the allegation that an opposition party in the state was sponsoring them.
Pointing out that the pensioners were tired of collecting half of their monthly pension, he insisted that the government should pay them their gratuity arrears from 2008 to 2012.
The protesters in their hundreds reportedly locked the entrance gate to the secretariat in Abere, chanting anti-government songs.
They equally displayed placards with various anti-government inscriptions. Some of the pensioners blocked the gates, while others lined up with placards beside the main road raining abuses on the state governor, Rauf Aregbesola.
A leader of the forum, Mr. Yemi Lawal, told journalists that it was their resolve not to allow any worker go inside the State Secretariat complex.
He said the state government was owing them 12-month pensions and the gratuities of those who retired between 2008/and 2012 had not been paid.
Lawal accused Aregbesola of planning to divert the second tranche of N12,7 billion Paris Club loan refund.
The protesters locked the main gate as well as the second gate thereby preventing workers and visitors from getting into the building.
Meanwhile, policemen, operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, were on ground to ensure that the protest is not hijacked.
