Obi Laments Greed, Calls Pension Withholding ‘Wicked’
The Labour Party’s presidential candidate for the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has condemned the avarice of political leaders, asserting that any administration that neglects to pay pensions and gratuities is both unfair and cruel.
The ex-Governor of Anambra State expressed this sentiment following what he termed a “disturbing encounter with an elderly woman” during his formal visit to the Shanahan College of Nursing Sciences in Nsukka, Enugu State.

Obi noted that this meeting left him deeply troubled by the extreme insensitivity displayed by the nation’s political and institutional leadership in Nigeria.
In a post on his X account, Obi recounted how the woman expressed distress over the fact that her pension had not been disbursed, despite dedicating her active years to serving the nation.
“My unsettling encounter with an elderly woman yesterday has made me significantly concerned about the level of insensitivity that defines our political and institutional leadership in Nigeria.
“During my interaction with the management and students of Shanahan College of Nursing Sciences, Nsukka, while on an official visit, I spotted this elderly woman struggling earnestly to speak to me.
“Individuals nearby attempted to push her away and hush her, but I immediately asked to speak with her to hear her story.
“She introduced herself as a retired civil servant who spent the productive years of her life serving the nation.
“She expressed her frustration over the delay in receiving her pension for a considerable time. What was even more heartbreaking was her admission that she had been unwell and hospitalized for over a week, facing rising medical expenses, yet her primary concern was that she didn’t have a Naira to purchase food.
“I experienced a wave of rage and sympathy. Rage towards leaders like myself, who, driven by greed and an unquenchable thirst for material wealth, have turned life into a nightmare for others by denying them the rewards of their labor. And then sympathy for the elderly woman and countless others like her, whose heartrending stories may remain unheard.
“That is the reality of our nation—a nation that has abandoned its sense of humanity and compassion.
“I have stated this in the past, and I continue to uphold that any government that withholds pensions and gratuities from our senior citizens during their most vulnerable years is cruel. As a Governor, I inherited and settled over N30 billion in outstanding pensions and gratuities accumulated over the years because I recognized the suffering of our elderly citizens.”
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