Some children of senior citizens who are expecting their parents to be paid their gratuities since they retired from Cross River State civil service 12 years ago have appealed that the payments should not be publicised.
They have expressed serious fears that publicity of the payment could alert kidnappers and armed robbers to visit their parents and dispossess them of the funds, kidnap or even kill them.
Kidnappings in the state have not completely abated despite stringent security measures by Governor Bassey Otu’s government.
Over a month ago, kidnappers abducted a heavily pregnant woman in Eseku community of Creek town, Odukpani LGA in place of the husband, a businessman, and demanded N50 million.
Members of the community have cried out that they cannot raise such hefty sum.
Two days ago the woman reportedly delivered her baby in their den.
On Sunday, when the pastor of her church and one relative went to deliver part of the ransom, so that she could be released, the kidnappers collected the money and also grabbed the emissaries.
Reacting to the payments, one of the grand children of the Cross River State civil service retirees, Elvis Idam, in a commentary on Facebook, said:
“But some things are better kept unannounced, the level of kidnappings and the society we live in will expose our senior citizens to these social vices and criminals.”
Another, a step son of Madam Beatrice Edem, now 72 years old, Eti-Eyen Anselem, commended the governor for doing what his predecessors refused to do since 2013 by moving to pay the outstanding gratuities.
But he appealed that government should step up security measures for senior citizens who are now receiving their gratuities after about 12 years.
“The last government didn’t pay gratuities even though they had much money to flaunt. Government stopped payment of gratuities in 2013, and my step mum retired that same year without her gratuity.”
Reacting to fears of kidnapping of the senior citizens, a former chairman of Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, Anthony Bissong Attah, said, “Social vices have been going on even without payment of gratuity to our senior citizens. Civil servants have been receiving their salaries and all kidnappers are fully aware of it.”
The opposition politician, Attah, said the singular action by Otu has demonstrated that he is a friend of the vulnerable and a promise keeper.
“I got calls from some pensioners who retired over ten years ago expressing how glad they are to receive their gratuity a decade later while some have died without getting their deserved entitlement.”
