The Niger state government has said it owes more than 14,200 retirees over N14 billion.

The Director General of the State Pensions Board, Alhaji Saidu Namaska, made this known in Minna at the flag-off of the payment of pensions and gratuities to retireesyesterday.

Namaska said N1 billion will be disbursedequally between state and local government retirees under the first arrangement.

According to the Director General, only 178 statepensioners, some of them dead will benefit from the present exercise, adding that before the end of the year another batch would be paid.

Retirees in the state have been protestingthe nonpayment of their pensions and gratuities for over 6 months with the protests leading to the blocking of the main entrance to the government house thereby disallowing official businesses from taking place.

Officials of the retirees cannot be reached to know if the arrangement is acceptable to them.

However some of the retirees who were not captured lamentedthe sufferings they have been facing, saying they are not satisfied with the explanation made by the Pension Board onthe selection of beneficiaries. (THISDAY)