At 83 years of age, George Usman Maiangwa, a veteran teacher of Daka village in Michiya, Takum local government area of Taraba State who retired from active teaching in 1971 is supposed to be resting and advising present day teachers on how the job should be done but painfully, Maiangwa is busy traveling from one state to another trying to have his pension paid to him. Maiangwa who said he started teaching in 1952 at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School Korinya in Benue State and was later posted to St. Mary’s Primary School Wukari, among other schools in Nasarawa, Kano Bauchi and Kaduna States told this magazine in Makurdi last week that his inability get his pension paid has caused him a lot of pains and discomfort. His daughter died of the cancer of the brain as he could not take her to hospital for medical treatment because of lack of money. He also said the situation has destroyed his nursery and primary school outfit and his farm which have been his source of livelihood over the years.
Maiangwa had in a letter dated November 2009 addressed to the governor of Taraba State and copied his Benue State counterpart as well as other relevant personalities stated that on retirement in 1971 from teaching, he submitted his papers for pension and gratuity to be paid to him but was told to wait and resubmit the papers when he is due for pension. He said when he later got his gratuity of 854 pounds paid in 1972; he reapplied for the payment of pension in 1976 at the period the former Benue-Plateau State was split into Benue, Plateau and the defunct Gongola States. 
Maiangwa said when that happened; he quickly put in his letter for the payment of the pension in Gongola State but said it was not processed before Taraba State was created out of Gongola State.
Undaunted, he said he went to check at the pension board in Jalingo, Taraba State capital where he was told that both his file and the list containing the names of pensioners have been sent to Yola, Adamawa State. When he went to Yola, Maiangwa said he was told his file and the list could not be found even after he said he bought chemicals which he was asked to buy to spray the abandoned store for fear of snakes and scorpions which may be hiding there.
Back in Jalingo, Maiangwa said he went to the high court and swore an affidavit reinforcing his position and took the duplicate copy to the pension board but up till today the file has not been found. He is therefore calling on good spirited Nigerians to assist him get his pension paid to him so that he could feel fulfilled after contributing his quota to the development of the country. “I worked for Nigeria, my country. I have contributed in my own mean way in training some top officers and personnel in the Army like General L. Onija, General Ehoda, Air Vice Marshals, deputy inspectors General of Police, Comptrollers of Customs, Prisons and Immigrations, Permanent Secretaries in Federal and State ministries, professors and doctors, senators, grand khadis and judges, members of legislative houses; federal, state and local government, yet this is how I am being paid. What an embarrassment,” he lamented.