Hundreds of Imo State Pensioners who thronged the office of the Head of Service yesterday went home disappointed as radio announcements inviting them in connection to payment of their gratuity turned out to be a ruse.
For close to three weeks now an Imo State government radio announcement rented the air asking Pensioners to visit the office of the Head of Service to confirm if their published particulars for payment of gratuity were correct.
The said announcement which many disappointed pensioners now tagged ” fake” had been on IBC and Ozisa radios for weeks.
The said announcement had declared that Pensioners names would be pasted for them to affirm if their particulars were well captured.
Ironically, nothing was pasted instead the entire exercise turned out to be a fresh verification exercise. Pensioners who behaved like the biblical wise Virgins started running about photocoping their documents and submitting.
Those who merely came to check their names as per the radio announcements had to rush back home so as to do the needful.
Unfortunately, most worried were the IBC Pensioners whose documents were rejected. A Staff of the office of the Head of Service had told an IBC Pensioner, “sorry Sir, IBC is a special case, we cannot collect your files because we didn’t issue you authorization letters”. The Staff didn’t go further.
Some Pensioners who spoke to this Reporter on condition of anoynmity advised that it would have been proper if the names were published in Statesman newspapers than stressing the Senior citizens this way.
Others wondered why the Head of Service should go on air inviting Pensioners whereas he was not ready for anything.
One dejected Pensioner, a frail looking old man, was heard shouting aloud, ” is it now a sin to retire”? While another asked, “Ihea owu ukwu nnama ji eru Umuahia”.
