Benue State Government is at a crossroad over payment of pensions arrears and gratuity to state and local government pensioners in the state.

 Pensioners in the state had yesterday Wednesday staged a protest to government house Makurdi over unpaid arrears for more than 20 months, to pressure the government to pay them.

The present administration of Governor Samuel Ortom is owing pensioners to the tune of 28 billion Naira for gratuity and pension arrears since 2015 but the pensioners described the government as worst ever seen.

Worried by the situation, the state deputy governor Benson Abounu, however, tasked the newly constituted State Pension Commission to seek innovative ways to pay pensioners their entitlement, promising to support the commission in their duties

Speaking to newsmen after the meeting with state deputy governor the chairman of the State Pension Commission Mr Terna Ahua, said he will be meeting with the pensioner while also appealing to give him time.