Former Governor of Benue State and Senator representing Benue North East, Gabriel Suswam has appealed to protesting pensioners in the state to sheath their swords and go home.
He promised to synergize with stakeholders to address their challenge.
Mr. Suswam’s appeal came on Monday when he addressed the pensioners at government House gate in Makurdi.
He said nobody prays for such a situation but that pension arrears were not peculiar to Benue alone as other governors are also owing.
The former governor therefore appealed to the pensioners to trust and give him up till Monday next week to join heads with Governor Samuel Ortom and other members of the National Assembly from the state to address their demands.
Suswam, who continued to plead with the pensioners said their continued sleeping outside of government house was unpalatable, insisting that they would not allow “our parents to be sleeping outside”.
“It breaks my heart that our parents and grand parents are sleeping outside in the cold. Give us the opportunity to settle this. Your staying here affects us your children and the whole state. It is a state matter and we stakeholders cannot fold our hands and watch.
“My appeal to you is please go back home, Monday we will be back here with other stakeholders to resolve this issue. Please give us a chance, just one opportunity and if we cannot solve this problem then, you can go ahead with your protest. But we cannot allow you to continue staying here. As painful as it is, go home and by Monday, we will be here to address this issue,” Suswam pleaded.
The Senate Committee Chairman on Power explained that Ortom was constrained by the present economic conditions, saying he will personally lead other stakeholders in the state to resolve the matter next week.
In their response, the Chairman of the Concerned Pensioners, Mr. Peter Ikyado said he is only a servant leader of the group and cannot take any decision contrary to the demands of his members.
Ikyado who spoke in a very cracked voice, said “I have been talking for days and my voice is gone”.
Speaking through his Vice Chairman, Mrs. Stella Peters, Ikyado narrated how they had met with the deputy governor, Benson Abounu and made some demands, saying that if the government had paid them two months of the arrears they bargained for before they commenced protest, they would not have been on the street.
He said “life has not been easy with us. We have lost dignity in the community where we live and in our families and homes. This is not how to treat human beings. It is very painful your Excellency”.
The Chairman further informed that they have lost three of their members in the cause of the protest, noting that they were surprised their cry and suffering is being speculated to be instigated by politicians.
They however, expressed their sincere appreciation to Sen. Suswam for his concerns and also accepted a gift of N500,000 he gave to them to buy drinking water but insisted that they will rather stay put and wait till their demands are met.
