Date: 2016-08-04

The Kwara Local Government Pensioners Association has confirmed death of 1005 members between April, 2015 to date as a result of their unpaid pension allowances.

The chairman of the Association in Kwara State, Alhaji lsiaka Akanbi disclosed this while speaking with journalists in llorin on Wednesday. Akanbi in an emotional voice said that many of its members across the 16 Local Government Areas of the state died because they could not get money for medical treatment.

The chairman of the association lamented further that over 3000 of his members are currently incapacitated to buy drugs to heal various ailments confronting them. "We have suffered unprecedented discrimination since the coming of Governor Abdulfatai Ahmed to power in the state. We are the elderly people called senior citizens who deserve fair treatment.

"The number of our members who have died as a result of discrimination by the kwara government is the greatest in comparison to any other sector in the state". The chairman appealed to the state government to use the fund acquired from ghost workers detected to settle arrears of pension allowance to local government pensioners.

Akanbi also urged Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed to come to their aid for the settlement of over six months pension allowance to the members. While reacting to the development, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communication to Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed, Dr Muideen Akorede said the state government sympathises with pensioners over their plight.

He attributed their plight to drop in allocation to all the 16 local government councils in the state. Akorede said the Government is looking for ways to come to their aid within its available resources.