Pensioners in Kogi State have lamented the suffering they are undergoing due to the nonpayment of their 10-month pension arrears.
Consequently, the state branch of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, has declared a seven-day fasting and praying so that God could intervene in their affairs.
The pensioners included all state and local governments’ retirees and retired primary school teachers who were being owed 10 months’ pension arrears.
A statement by the NUP chairman, Chief Onuh Abdullahi, said the pensioners would pray for all retirees, particularly those that have not been able to access their pension for many months.
“The praying and fasting will start on Tuesday, December 6, 2016 and will end at the local governments’ branches of the NUP on Monday, December 12, 2016 at noon.We will pray to God to sustain us and open doors of favour for us since the government has failed to take of us in our old age,” Abdullahi said.
The chairman added that the prayer session would focus on asking God “to touch the heart of our leaders so that they can pay the desired attention to the plight of senior citizens who have spent their useful years in serving their fatherland.”
Abdullahi directed retires who would participate in the spiritual exercise “to pray that they will live to enjoy the fruit of their labour before they go back to their Maker.”
“We will also pray for the peace of God which passes human understanding to reign in Kogi State now and always and ask God to heal all pensioners that have one health challenges or the other and also for the repose of the souls of the departed pensioners,” he added.
Though he said the retirees would pray to God to guide the state government under the leadership of Yahaya Bello, the NUP chairman urged the governor to “do all within his power to settle our pension arrears.
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