‘You Are Callous’ – Peterside Attacks Wike Over Non-payment Of Pensioners

Dakuku Peterside, an associate of the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has described as “callous and inhuman” over the non-payment of gratuities and arrears to pensioners in the state.

In a statement on Saturday, Peterside said the recent protest of the senior citizens in the state over the non-payment of their benefits is a disgrace to the government of Nyesom Wike and the state in general.

The former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) asked governor Wike to immediately pay the pensioners’ entitlements and ask God for forgiveness.

Peterside stated that Wike should be “ashamed” of failing to pay pensioners, adding that since 2015, Wike has not promoted a single civil servant, neither has he employed anyone.

He said: “Governor Wike should be ashamed that people who are old enough to be his father have been abandoned to their fate, with many already dead without getting their due benefits.

“There is no greater wickedness than this, in fact, his action is callous and inhuman. Here is a man who has received hundreds of billions of naira in both federal allocation and internally generated revenue.

“Since 2015, Wike has not promoted a single civil servant, neither has he employed anyone. A brick and mortar governor does not fit into proactive governance anchored on human capital development, which is the main driving force of economic wellbeing worldwide.

“Rivers youth have benefitted nothing under Wike. He prefers to hire them for political rallies rather than create platforms through which they can contribute to the economic prosperity of the state.”