Retirees across the southwest states have taken a swipe at Governors in the zone for owing them N242 billion in gratuities and pensions.

During a zonal council meeting in Akure, Ondo State, the retirees under the banner of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP, chastised governors for shirking their responsibilities.

Despite enabling pensioners in their states to live in penury, some governors went ahead and obtained nomination forms worth millions of naira, according to the pensioners who spoke through the union’s Zonal PRO, Comrade Olusegun Abatan.

The pensioners also chastised the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) for not raising their concerns with the appropriate authorities.

They insisted that the two unions should take their plight seriously as they will be pensioners in the future.

Ogun State is owing N68 billion, Ondo State N78 billion, Ekiti State N38 billion and Osun N58 billion. Lagos is almost free of indebtedness because it has entered into the Contributory Pension Scheme.

“We discovered that to liquidate for example N68 billion, it will take that government 34 years. And this brings to the fore the core labour centres in this country, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Trade Union Congress, TUC, as well as the Joint Negotiating Council, JNC, to please have a common understanding with the Nigeria Union of Pension.