By Our Reporter. Nasarawa State known as Pensioners Forum for Peace, PFP has distanced itself from the court case earlier instituted by the Concerned Group seeking full payment of their pension, including all the arrears as well as their gratuities.
The newly constituted group which is led by Alhaji Shehu Usman Yakubu has vowed to also drag the leadership of the Concerned Group of Pensioners to court for illegally using their names amongst those suing the state government without their consent.
A cross section of vividly troubled pensioners at the conference room of the Nasarawa Pension Bureau Monday explained that while they remain disturbed about the percentage payment of their pension and non-payment of gratuities, they believe in peaceful dialogue with the government as the best option with the circumstance.
The chairman, Pensioners Forum for Peace, Alhaji Shehu Usman, who expressed his bitterness for finding his name among the pensioners suing the state government, said the action has tarnished their image and.reputation as loyal, disciplined and law-abiding citizens.
The chairman said the Concerned Group must pay dearly for the defamation of their characters by falsely using their names to drag the state government to court in the first place.
Other pensioners at the meeting also called for peaceful negotiation to find a lasting solution to the problems bedeviling the senior citizens most of whom have not even been paid their November pension with less than a week to Christmas.
Also commenting, a pensioner who hails from Keffi LGA of the State, Garba Yusuf lamented the decision of the Concerned Group of Pensioners for using his name among those suing the state government because, according to him, he is also part of the government.
He equally vowed to drag the leader of the Concerned Group, Alhaji Ibrahim Usman, to court for damages, adding that he has nothing against the state government because he has since been paid his gratuity in full and does not belong to pensioners receiving percentage pension.
Earlier the Director General, State Pension Bureau, Alhaji Sani Abdullahi Oseze explained that the pensioners were summoned to a meeting in order to deliberate on the problem surrounding the suspension of pension payment to many pensioners from November allegedly for dragging the state government to court.
The DG called on the pensioners to find a peaceful solution to the impasse through dialogue, saying that the leader of the Concerned Group, Ibrahim Usman is actually responsible for their predicament.
He then advised the aggrieved pensioners to also seek redress in court against the leader of the Concerned Group for unlawfully using their names to go to court in the first place.
Meanwhile, the DG has pledged to lift the suspension on the pension payment as soon as the affected senior citizens can withdraw from the Concerned Group and enlist among the Pensioners Forum for P