Former Anambra State Governor and the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has expressed concern over the insensitivity of Nigeria’s political leadership to pensioners.
Obi, who spoke during an official visit to Shanahan College of Nursing Sciences, Nsukka, recounted how he noticed a distressed woman trying to get his attention despite efforts to silence her, saying that he learned that she was a retired civil servant, who had dedicated her working years to serving the country but had not received her pension for a while.
He chided the government for neglecting pensioners, calling it an act of wickedness to withhold payments from vulnerable elderly citizens.
Besides, he recalled that as governor, over N30 billion was paid as pensions and gratuities to alleviate the suffering of retirees in Anambra State.
“I felt a surge of anger and pity. Anger at leaders like me who, out of greed, have made life unbearable for others, and pity for the elderly woman and many like her, whose voices remain unheard,” Obi stated.
He then provided immediate financial assistance to the woman and assured her of follow-up on her pension with the hospital.
