From Victor Akinkuolie, Ado-Ekiti

Members of Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Ekiti State Council have threatened a showdown with Ekiti State Government over unpaid gratuities and arrears owned its members.
The union also lamented that over 45 percent of its members die before the collection of their gratuities and allowances from the government.
The pensioners lamented over what they called irregularity in the payment of one hundred million monthly allocation meant to liquidate mounting unpaid gratuities to its members by the Ekiti State Government.
Speaking in Ado-Ekiti during a press briefing, the Chairman of NUP, Comrade Joel Akinola, also demanded for a review on the N100 million monthly allocation to the pensioners in the state, saying that the move would match the rate at which the value of naira was falling in the capital market.
The Chairman flanked by the executive and other members of the union, also lamented the increase in the mortality rate among members of the NUP in the state.
The union also called on State government as a matter of urgency to implement the newly approved Consequential Adjustment that was signed into law by the Federal Government since 2019, noted that the allocation should be increased to a more substantial amount that will lighten the heavy debts owed its members.
Lamenting what the NUP called humongous arrears of pensions and gratuities owned its members, Akinola, said, “our members are dying, we have been swallowing the bitter pains silently, we have written and visited various agencies of government in Ekiti State, but no positive result.
The pensioners also threatened to embark on what they called a mass protest in no distant time, if government fail to see to their plights.
“The state pensioners last received allocation of two hundred and fifty million for the payment of gratuities in February 2021, and this brought the list of beneficiaries to June 2013. The local government pensioners had allocation of one hundred million in July/August. We are having unpaid arrears of pensions of three months and seven months to state and local government pensioners respectively.
Speaking on the proposed bailout to the states by the Federal Government, the Ekiti State NUP scribe urged the government to use the money for the payment of unpaid gratuities and allowances of the pensioners, rather than embarking on what they called white elephant projects.