SEPTEMBER 25, 2013 BY SODIQ OYELEKE
The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders has condemned the non-payment of the Lagos State pensioners’ gratuity and arrears by the government.
The pensioners had stormed the office of the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, on Monday to protest against their unpaid gratuity and pension arrears.
Reacting to the incident, Executive Chairman of the coalition, Mr. Debo Adeniran, in a statement on Tuesday, accused the Lagos State Government of apathy to the plights of the pensioners.
He said, “It is very disheartening when people, who had worked assiduously in their prime to contribute to the development of their state, now go through rigours to get their monthly stipends.
It is so unfortunate that Lagos State that prides itself as the Centre of Excellence could not cater for its senior citizens who worked to bring it whatever glory it boasts of today.
“This is a government that has deployed every of its effort in implementing anti-poor policies when its pensioners are groaning under the yoke of unpaid pensions. It is high time the government listens to the cries of its citizens and does what is right.”
Meanwhile, CACOL also faulted the reason tendered by the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Kayode Opeifa, on why many of the vehicles in its mass transit scheme, Bus Rapid Transit were in a poor state.
Opeifa had told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos on Monday that the slow pace of maintenance on the BRT buses was due to the dearth of spare parts.
But Debo said, “How can a reasonable and cost-conscious government import buses it knew would be difficult to maintain? Why expend taxpayers’ money into such wasteful venture?
“Does it mean the government just ordered for the buses on impulse without considering the merits and the demerits? Whosoever approved the order for the buses should be investigated and be made to face the law