Group Faults Rivers State Pensioners’ Re-Verification Exercise as “Recipe for Stampede”

The Director General of Rivers Solidarity for Good Governance, Opuoyibo Lilly-West, has strongly criticized the Rivers State Government’s recent directive for pensioners to undergo a re-verification exercise within just six days.

Lilly-West expressed deep concerns about the safety and well-being of pensioners, many of whom are elderly—some aged 80 and above—warning that the short timeframe could cause stampedes and potentially endanger lives.

The State Government, through Acting Head of Service Dr. Inyingi Brown, had announced that pensioners on the payroll must present themselves between August 14 and 19 for biometric verification. Required documents include a valid Bank Verification Number (BVN), passport photograph, and pension ID card.

Lilly-West questioned the rationale behind conducting such a large-scale verification—covering over 16,000 pensioners—within such a brief period, especially less than a month before the end of the state’s six-month emergency rule.

He recalled previous verification exercises that resulted in chaotic scenes and urged the government to reconsider the scheduling to avoid undue hardship on retirees.

In response, an official from the Head of Service’s office denied the accusations, describing them as baseless and assuring that arrangements are in place to ensure the process is orderly and comfortable.

State Administrator Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, through his Senior Special Adviser on Media, had earlier defended the exercise, emphasizing its purpose to uncover fraud within the civil service and not to short-change any pensioner.