The governorship candidate of the Action Alliance in Imo State, Ugwumba Uche Nwosu has promised to find a lasting solution to the plight of pensioners in the State. He regretted that our senior citizens are being subjected to avoidable pains before they could get their legitimate entitlements and blamed corruption in the civil service for what seems to be the albatross of the present administration. He promised to overhaul the pension system as soon as he takes over as the governor of Imo State in 2019.
"I am pained that our senior citizens have to go through avoidable rigours before getting their legitimate entitlements. It is also unfortunate that after these rigorous verifications, they still do not get paid what they are entitled to and when they are entitled to them. There is no reason why these senior citizens should not get paid for their years of service to our State. Some of them are the teachers who taught us, others served us in different capacities in the civil service. Now, that they are old and retired, they deserve to be paid without any hassles."
Speaking when the Imo Future Initiative, a pressure group, paid a consultative visit to him in his residence at Eziama Obaire, the frontline governorship candidate explained that he has set a plan in place to ensure that all pension arrears are cleared off within his first six months in office, if the present administration does not succeed in paying off the accumulated arrears. When asked by a member of the delegation why he didn't give the present Government the plan considering that till recently he was the Chief of staff to the same government that is owing these pension arrears, he explained that there is a difference between an aide and the governor.
"My duty as Chief of Staff was to make suggestions, while the governor decides whether to implement such suggestions or not. I didn't have powers to do anything on my own. As governor, I shall implement those ideas that are beneficial to our people and make sure that our pensioners smile again. I know what the problems are and I also understand the predicament of the present administration in solving that problem once and for all. I shall step on toes, no matter how big those toes are."
He thanked the group for identifying with him and urged them to stand with him in his vision to move Imo State forward as encapsulated in the three Cs of Continuity, Consolidation and correction .
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