Ex-Lepers Ask Okowa To Increase Monthly Stipend From N8,000 To N25,000

Lepers, on the platform of Persons Afflicted with Leprosy, PAL, in Delta State, yesterday, embarked on a peaceful protest, calling on the state Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa to review their monthly stipend from N8,000 to N25,000.

The ex-lepers, who stormed the State Government House gate in two buses, carried placards with different inscriptions to express their dissatisfaction.

Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Mr Eruekaye Russia, who led the people said they were representatives of their colleagues in the colony at tuberculosis and leprosy hospital/settlement in Eku, Ethiope East Local Government Area of the state.

Eruekaye lamented that the present stipend of N8,000 was no longer tenable in an economy of hyperinflation, saying former Governor James Ibori approved the N8,000 allowance for them during his tenure.

Lamenting that the N8,000 was reviewed downward to N3,900 by the last administration, he said Governor Ifeanyi Okowa raised it to N8,000.

He said: “The N8,000 is too small. Things are very costly, and because of our nature, the majority of us are not working. We are suffering and we want the state to help us.

“If the economy is rough for the healthy one, how much more we that are afflicted with leprosy.

“The budget of the state should be able to accommodate our needs. We know Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has a meek heart to make life more comfortable for our members.

The state Commissioner for Women Affairs and Community Development, Mrs Flora Alanta, who addressed the protesters, said the state government was already looking into their plights and assured the protesters of better days ahead and commended them for the peaceful protest.