The Nation Newspaper

Tag: pensions

  • Pensions, justice and the rule of law

    The  Bayelsa State governor,  Mr   Seriake  Dickson during the week refused to give assent a  to a bill passed by  the  state  House of Assembly asking for  life pension   for  both serving and past  legislators in the state. The governor said the bill violated a section of  the Nigerian constitution, was not a priority on the list of the myriads of serious economic problems  facing the state and would  be creating a special  class  of  people in a democracy where equality and freedom  are  the driving spirit.   In  my view the Bayelsa   governor is a shining example of  a champion of democracy  upholding the rule of  law  and justice  and his refusal  to give assent  to the bill brought by  self  serving   Bayelsa legislators is a beacon  of  hope  that  God  is  not  finished with  Nigeria yet. This   is    in spite of  the overwhelming predisposition of the Nigerian   political class   for  self  perpetuation,  and  self  promotion   of their  class  once they  get elected into  any   office  either in   the executive or legislative arm  of  government, in  all  categories  of  governance  in the Nigerian  political  system.

    In  upholding  the rule of law at  great expense to  his political authority and tenure   I put  Governor Dickson of Bayelsa  state on the lofty platform  of some other legal  minds and lawyers on the global scene who  this week  stated boldly and  clearly  what  the rule of  law  is  and what  it is not.  The  first  is  Rod  Rosentein  the Deputy Attorney General  of  the US who  appointed the  Attorney Mueller  who   led the Mueller Inquiry which   recently   submitted its report on its findings on  whether Russia  assisted Donald  Trump  to win the 2016 US presidential  election  or  not. The  second  is the US Attorney  General William  Barr  who  received  the  Muller  Report and released  an  abridged  version  of it  as required by the US constitution.  The  third  is the US House of  Representatives dominated by the Democrats which is using  subpoenas to battle  the presidency  of  the US President Donald  Trump  Administration   while  the Trump  appointees in government  have refused to  honour  some  subpoenas thus  exposing themselves  to  charges of  contempt  of the law  with regard  to  legislative authority.  With  regard  to  the US AG Barr’s  role  and  that of the US House  of  Reps,  partisanship  has  blinded proceedings on both sides  such  that the rule of law is   in   serious  jeorpardy.  We  shall  therefore  dwell   here on the Rosentein resignation letter  later.

    The  comparison  with Governor  Dickson  stems  from  the fact  that the Bayelsa  governor  is  boldly    trying to defend  the people  who  voted Bayelsa  legislators  into office   against   the   misusing   and abuse  of    their   trust     with    legislative powers  aimed  at  looting   the state treasury. Thus    making  an ass of  the law in creating life pensions  for themselves  outside  the provisions of  the Nigerian  constitution.  According to  the Governor  in his statement  on refusal  of assent, the bill  is inconsistent  with Section 124  of the Nigerian  constitution  and ‘ I am  not  convinced  of its legality’.  The  legislature  is made up  of  22  members  of  the PDP,  the governor’s  party  and 2 members of  the opposition APC  which  means  that  the legislators   from  the governor’s   party  can  impeach  him  for daring to stop  the bill. That  makes  the governor a public   spirited  and patriotic  Nigerian  in  my view.  What  I do  not agree with   however is his  insistence that  Bayelsa   will  be the first  state to give  pension to political  office  holders. It is an open  secret  that governors and deputy governors in many states  have houses and cars when they leave office and have cars renewed  after  two  years in some  states. It  is  a situation similar  to  that in Bayelsa and is equally   condemnable   as  it is not only  a drain  on the resources  of the states  concerned but is an abuse  of  the concept of contributory  pension system  which  is meant as a cushion and incentive  for the effects of  long  meritorious  service.

    A  recent  White  Paper in the UK  called  for a review  of pensions for  the old with a view  to cutting some perks  such as TV  licence payments  so  that there  can  be provision  for  young people  who  are largely  unemployed and uncatered  for  by the state. The recommendation is meant to  care  for  young  unemployed  youths in  order to make  life  easier  for them in  society  in order  to minimize  antagonism against  a society that creates social  tension in the face of rising youth  unemployment and joblessness.  That  to me is a step  in the right direction in the UK  and is what  Nigeria  should  emulate  and  adopt   instead  of  creating   extravagant   pensions   for politicians  who  serve very    short  political   terms. This  is imperative  and urgent  with the developments in Algeria  where restless, angry   and unemployed  protesters,  mostly  youths  toppled the decades old regimes of Boumediene and Sudan  where  a similar   overthrow    of  government   was led  by youthful  doctors and other  professionals. This  is the handwriting on the wall  that the Bayelsa governor   has read  and has stopped  his wayward  legislators  in their  quest  to make an  ass of the law and line their pockets with the resources of the state  as pensions  for life.

    In  similar  vein the outgoing US  Deputy  Attorney  General Rod  Rosentein   who  initiated the Mueller probe  and was perceived as an antagonist  by the US President  resigned as expected but his resignation  letter  was a lesson  in objectivity and respect  for  the rule of law.  Rosentein  whose resignation takes effect on  May  11  noted  that  ‘the rule of law  is  the foundation of  America.’ In  the  concluding part  of his released resignation  letter he gave clear  albeit    grudging endorsement  to the US   President Donald  Trump   who  vilified  him  as  a  witch  hunter most  of the time. Rosentein  praised  the US Department of  Justice  he was leaving thus –‘ We  enforce the law  without fair or favour  because evidence is not partisan  and truth is not determined by opinion polls.  We  ignore fleeting distractions and focus our attention on the things   that  matter,  because  a republic that matters is not governed  by the news cycle. We  keep  the faith, we  follow  the rules and we always put America first ‘ I  am  sure  that even  Trump  must  have  been dazed   and pleasantly    surprised   by the unexpected adoption of his America First slogan  by a man he mistrusted  most  of his time in office.  But  that is the best  way to uphold the rule of law  in any clime  or polity  as shown by both  Governor Dickson of Bayelsa   on life  pension  for   legislators in  Nigeria  and Rod  Rosentein of the US  Department  of Justice. Once  again long live  the Federal Republic of  Nigeria.

     

  • Akwa Ibom: Why pensions and gratuities matter

    The Accountant General of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Uwem Andrew- Essien, recently made known the fact that the state government had paid pension and gratuity arrears spanning 10 years to the state’s civil service retirees. According to him, the arrears have been cleared till 2015, thus leaving outstanding payment of those civil servants that retired in 2016 alone. He further explained that the payment is being done in batches because of the huge sums of money involved.

    This year alone, a total of 7,780 retirees have collected either outstanding gratuities or pension as the case may be.  The accountant general said such payment would continue to remain a priority of the Udom Emmanuel-led administration as a demonstration of its commitment to the well-being of the people of the state.  Right now, the state government has commenced the compilation of names of civil servants who retired in 2016, so that they could also get their retirement benefits.

    Ordinarily, payment of workers’ gratuities and pensions should not be celebrated as it is being done these days. After all, workers according to the Holy Books surely deserve their wages. But that has been far from the experience of workers in Nigeria. Only the fortunate ones get theirs probably six times in a year. For the most unfortunate ones among them, they can be owed theirs for a whole year.  Some state governments owe workers as many as 36 months’ salaries. Some local governments have not even paid their workers for more than three years.

    One then begins to wonder the kind of productivity any employer could demand from workers that are denied even the most basic incentive for going to work. Unfortunately, this aberration is fast becoming a norm in the country. The other day, the chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, and governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, astonishingly declared  that governors were not elected only to pay salaries of civil servants. Justifying non-payment of workers’ salaries by state governments, he contended that there was no way the governors could perform magic if there were no funds to pay workers.

    Such is the level of arrogance often displayed by some of our leaders when it comes to discharging their basic responsibility to their workers, especially seeing to the welfare of civil servants. What is generally accepted as the norm in employer-worker relationship is that employers provide work for their employees and pay them in return for the services they render.That is why an employer thinks it through before committing to the responsibility of hiring extra hands knowing that such action has implication in terms of financial input. Simply put, no sane employer hires just for the fun of it, but they do so to maximise their returns. But sadly, some Nigerian workers have been reduced to begging for what is legitimately theirs. Some even go into a frenzy of excitement when they are paid four months out of probably 36 months’ salary arrears owed them by some of their governors.

    In fact, salary payment has become such an issue in today’s Nigeria that states that pay workers on regular basis now count it as a major achievement. Despite the release of the London and Paris Club refunds to states to offset outstanding salaries, many states still owe their workers.

    The foregoing are some of the reasons why the decision of Governor Udom Emmanuel to pay pension arrears ofAkwa Ibom retirees is such a big deal. To start with, the gratuities and pensions arrears cleared have beenthere for over 10 years. No doubt, a lot of efforts must have gone into planning and generating the revenue required to meet this obligation. This is more so especially in an era when allocations from the federal government have continued to reduce. It must have taken a rare and deep commitment to the welfare of the people of Akwa Ibom State for the governor to have taken this step. So, it is commendable.

    Of course, it is out of place for civil servants that have worked for years to be denied their gratuities or pensions. There are even stories of pensioners dying due to lack of  money to treat themselves when they were sick or others dying in the queue as they awaited the  so-called  benefit that is even too small to accomplish anything reasonable.  The local governments appear to be the worst culprits when it comes to owing workers.  Fortunately for them, the public rarely put them on the spot.  Although Nigeria runs a three- tier structure of government, many people only talk about the state and federal government, thus making it appear as if the local governments don’t have any responsibilities. Yet they collect allocations from the federation account every month just like the states do.

    But beyond the payment of pensions and arrears by the Akwa Ibom State government, it is high time state governments all over the country began to work at finding a permanent solution to the problem of non- payment of salaries and allowances of civil servants in the country.No doubt, most civil services are over-bloated. There are many people in the civil service that have no business being there. There is also problem with efficiency as sometimes 10 people could be on ground to do the work meant for just three people. To many state governments, employment in the civil service is merely political- a sort of party patronage. That is why they over-employ and also find it difficult to pay salaries.

    But, while it may be difficult to advocate an outright reduction of staff strength in a country struggling in and out of recession, states should know that the onus is on them to make their workers productive.

    There are too many under-utilised people in the civil service. This has to change.  Civil servants can offer Nigeria a better deal than we are currently getting, but that can only happen in an environment where everyone is on their toes to add to the quality of lives of the citizenry. There is enough work for civil servants to do. For instance, there is a works ministry in every state, yet there are potholes everywhere. We have agriculture ministries that do not have farm plantations or extension services. The era of lazy civil service should be gone and the earlier our governments at all levels realised this, the better it will be for everyone.

     

    • Anthony writes from Lagos.

     

  • BudgIT’s survey on salaries, pensions vindicates Akwa Ibom govt 

    Akwa Ibom Youth League has commended Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel for his efforts in addressing the interest of civil servants.

    The group spoke against the background of the survey of state governments by Non-Governmental Organisation BudgIT, which listed states owing workers salaries and pensioners’ entitlements.

    Akwa Ibom is not on the list of debtor-states.

    The group urged the governor not to rest on his oars, charging him to continue to clear gratuities of civil servants that were left unpaid by the former administration.

    “The BudgIT survey goes a long way to further authenticate the claims of the state government on its commitment to workers’ welfare.

    “Yes, we are not unaware of the difficult challenge that the state government has faced especiallyas regards the Irrevocable Standing Payment Orders (ISPOs) entered into by the preceding administration.

    “We note that despite the challenges that Governor Emmanuel faces, “The fact that no worker or pensioner is owed in Akwa Ibom State as authenticated by the BudgIT survey helps to clarify the lies been made by some political figures to confuse the people

    “It is gratifying that BudgIT has clarified the issue and we call on our politicians to desist from telling lies about workers welfare and rather focus on other topical issues that would help to raise the standard of governance in the state.”

  • Osun Govt settles debts to workers with N19.6b

    •Four months’ salaries, pensions arrears, others covered

    The Osun State government has disbursed N19.8? billion for payment of salaries and pensions to its workers.

    The Commissioner for Finance Mr Bola Oyebamiji said the money covers August full salary, backlog of the salaries and the pensions for September to December 2015? as well as leave bonuses.

    Oyebamiji said Governor Rauf Aregbesola gave the payment directive after consultation with Labour unions and other stakeholders.

    The commissioner broke the news yesterday while addressing reporters at the Ministry of Finance in Osogbo, the state capital.

    He said the payment would be from the N16.6 billion latest Paris Club refunds from the Federal Government.

    Oyebamiji said the state added additional N3 billion from other sources to the Paris Club refunds to ensure the payment.

    According to him, this is not the first time the Aregbesola administration was committing lump sums from the Federal Government to pay salaries and pensions.

    The commissioner recalled that in November 2016, the government received N11.4 billion Paris Club refunds and disbursed N13.6 billion the following month ?to pay active and passive workers’ salaries, pensions, leave bonuses and other emoluments, with N8.5 billion covering September to December 2016 salaries.

    He also said N924 million was paid in 2016 as leave bonus for September to December, adding that from the same Paris Club refund, N2.5 billion was paid to cover pensions for September to December of the same year.

    Oyebamiji added: “?Again, in July 2017, the government received N6.3 billion as the second tranche of Paris Club refund and paid N6 billion as salaries, pensions and leave bonuses. The breakdown is as follows: N3.76 billion as workers’ salaries, N504 million as leave bonuses, N791 million as pension and N935 million as salaries in the local governments.

    “Since the commencement of the Aregbesola administration in November 2010, salaries, pensions and workers emoluments had taken not less than 80 per cent of the total revenue of the state. Indeed, a sizeable portion of the state’s debt was incurred on salaries.

    “When the administration came, monthly workers’ salary was N1.4 billion while pension was N200 million. However, with the increase of minimum wage from N9,000 to N19,000 and hiking of monthly pensions to N500 million, monthly salaries and pensions rose to N3.6 billion.

    “Though there was a steady increase in revenue till the late 2013, however, by 2014, oil price commenced a steady decline, dropping to as low as $22 in 2015 from the height of more than $100 in 2013.”

  • TUC to members: vote out governors owing salaries, pensions

    THE Trade Union Congress (TUC) yesterday asked its members to vote out governors still owing workers’ salaries and pensions.

    It urged workers, pensioners and their families to take opportunity of the ongoing continuous voters’ registration to obtain their permanent voters’ cards (PVCs).

    The union said the PVCs will be their weapons to vote out non-performing governors and anti-workers political leaders in the forthcoming elections.

    The congress, in a statement signed by its president, Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama and Secretary General, Comrade Musa-Lawal Ozigi, said it was a thing of shame that the governors could not fulfill their primary obligation of paying salaries and pension of workers after collecting large sums of money as assistance from the Federal Government.

    Vice President Yomi Osinbajo was quoted as saying that the Federal Government gave out about N1.9 trillion to the states as their share of the Paris Club loan refund, which the states were supposed to use for the payment of salaries and pension among others.

    The TUC said it was unfair and inhuman for governors, after sharing a total of N1.9trillion and Budget Support Facilities since the inception of the present administration to fail to meet their obligations.

    It lamented that instead of paying workers, governors are busy buying properties all over the world.

    “One wonders how they (governors) sleep at night while the people they govern go to bed hungry, sick and have their wards out of school,” it said.

    Hailing Osinbajo and the Senator representing Kaduna State Central Shehu Sani for their recent revelations on monies released to state governments and a fraction of the take home of senators, the Congress said the Nigerian people and the international community are now abreast of how politicians and their cronies rape the nation’s national patrimony while the masses live in abject poverty.

    It said: “For us, this revelation is an eye-opener and we are going to mobilise members throughout the country to ensure that defaulting governors seeking re-election and even those who have served out their second term but want to impose a stooge will not be allowed to emerge, but face perdition come 2019.

    “Position of leadership requires deep thinking and a lot of creativity. The managerial skill of a leader shows when he or she is faced with challenges like what we have in most states presently. A lot of governors are not thinking out of the box simply because they know federal allocation is certain. They are not even paying deductions from workers’ salaries in some cases for up to six, seven and eight months. They only pay net, not gross, yet they claim to be conscientious leaders.

    “The world over, salaries are on first line charge. But in Nigeria, we have a reversal of best practices. All workers, pensioners and all the deprived groups are hereby advised to possess their PVCs and together we shall boot out irresponsibility from our system.”

  • ‘Governors have no reason not to pay salaries, pensions’

    Yobe State Governor Ibrahim Gaidam said  yesterday that governors defaulting in payment of salary, pension and gratuity had no reason to owe, as such payments inspired workers.

    He said his government paid salary and pension without recourse to the bailout fund from the Federal Government.

    Speaking while inaugurating the Pensioners House built by the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, to serve as its national secretariat in Abuja, Gaidam said his state prioritised payment of salary, pension and gratuity, adding that workers who retired received their payment within one month of leaving the service.

    He appealed to his colleagues and other employers of labour to emulate his administration in the prompt payment of salary, pension and gratuity.

    The governor said the cumulative effects of the reform measures in the public financial management in the state had led to a high standard of accountability and prudent management of scarce resources, making the Yobe State government to remain above board in the payment of salary and pension.

    He said despite the unfortunate insecurity experienced in the state as a result of the activities of insurgents, which had drained a substantial part of its resources, the government had made it a deliberate policy to pay salaries and pensions as a first line charge before any expenditure.

    Gaidam said: “We have also made it a deliberate policy that civil servants start receiving payment of pensions one month after retirement. We have set up a committee to verify gratuities of workers.  So far the committee has cleared a backlog of gratuities of civil servants, who retired from 2014 to July 2017, having paid about N4.7 billion, covering 2,543 beneficiaries.

    “The entitlements of the 11th batch of beneficiaries covering August 2017 to December 2017 are being processed and will be released soon.

    “The government has formulated an owner occupier housing programme in which houses are allocated and sold to civil servants at a highly subsidised rate of 65 per cent of construction cost to enable civil servants retire comfortably in their houses. The government has granted a waiver of outstanding payment in respect of any beneficiary who died before full payments could be completed.

    “We have set up a special committee to pay outstanding gratuities and pensions of verified next of kin of deceased officers and living pensioners of the local governments, having so far expended over N2.746 billion covering 2,793 beneficiaries between 2011 and February 2018.

    “With the continued funding support rendered towards settlement of gratuity and pension arrears in respect of workers of the local governments, our administration intends to settle all outstanding pensions and gratuities of the retirees and deceased officers in the local government service before the end of this year.

     

  • Another look at gratuity under contributory pensions

    Another look at gratuity under contributory pensions

    There is no gainsaying that pension fund administration and its laws in Nigeria has over the years since its introduction undergone several reforms and even repeals of parts of its legislations for the improvement of the pension administration and welfare of the Nigeria pensioner. Up to June 2004, the pension scheme in Nigeria was the Defined Benefit Scheme, which was non-contributory by the employee and where benefits were predetermined. These are in the forms of payment of lump sum referred to as gratuity and monthly pension payments guaranteed for life. The rate of payment of both gratuity and monthly pension are dependent on the number of years of service of the employee. Under this pension scheme, there are many sad and agonizing stories of pensioners not receiving their proper pension entitlements as and when due. The pension fund was not properly managed and abuse of the fund rampant. Pension payments were not regular with many months and years of arrears and in some cases never made.

    Because of the problems associated with the Defined Benefit Pension Scheme, the federal government developed a new pension scheme which took effect from July 2004. Known as the Contributory Pension Scheme, both the employer and employee contribute certain percentages of the basic salary, housing and transport allowances of the employee to the pension fund on monthly basis. The fund is managed by a tripartite body: the Pension Fund Administrator, the Pension Fund Custodian and the National Pension Commission, which is the regulatory body. This tripartite arrangement is an endeavour to overcome the problems associated with the old pension scheme.

    My focus here is on the payment arrangement under the Contributory Pension Scheme. The arrangement ensures that on retirement, one cannot be paid his/her full gratuity but can only withdraw a lump sum of money provided the balance in this Retirement Savings Account after this withdrawal would ensure payment of 50% of last salary, as at date of retirement, on a monthly basis for the rest of the estimated life span (which is estimated to be 15 years, after that the pensioner should have died) or purchase an annuity with an insurance company, which will entitle the pensioner to be given monthly or quarterly pension payments for the rest of his/her life, ceteris paribus (all things being equal) which is hard to come by in Nigeria. The retiree has no liberty to decide what amount should be paid to him/her as gratuity, yet this is what he/she has worked for and saved during his/her active years of life, for later use when no more in the service of government and when old age is starring him/her in the face.

    Secondly, the balance of money in the Retirement Saving Account is unilaterally invested by the Pension Fund Administrator again without his/her input on the investment decision, so also in the sharing of the proceeds of the investments. The Pension Fund Administrator invests the pension fund and earns interest of over 20% on monthly/quarterly basis and pays only 3-6% of the interest into the Retirement Savings Account of the pensioner. This is exploitative injustice.

    The implication here is that after spending all of one’s useful life span serving the government, the individual cannot still be able to manage his/her finances, so the government through its agencies has to decide for him/her. This is indeed unfortunate, absurd and abuse of the employee/pensioner competences.The government is thus crying more than the bereaved all because it wants to continually manipulate and exploit the finances of its employees/pensioners to its own benefits using its bureaucrats who seem not to remember that one day they will also retire and join the pension bandwagon.

    Thirdly, pension legislations are made without input from the labour unions which represents the worker and pensioner.

    There have been revelations of multi-billion naira pension fund scandals at the various pension units/departments across the federation just as the governments at all levels have not done much to stem the tide. The rate of payment of gratuity either partly or wholly should be optional to the retiree. The government should allow him/her to decide and then be ready to bear any consequence thereafter without resorting to the government again. The rule should be made very clear. The government should not group all retirees on the same platform – that they would not have the ability and discipline to manage their finances effectively over a long period of time as it is being assumed.

    One of the reasons for the craze for corruption in the civil and public service of the nation is the lack of sense of security for civil and public officers after their retirement from service. Hence, most of the workers have to steal to secure their future. If a worker is sure that if he/she retires clean from service without indictment, he/she will be paid his/her full entitlement or in the alternative, if he/she is found guilty of any illegal financial dealings while in service, he/she would forfeit the proceeds of such dealings and any asset identified thereto and besides would also lose his/her retirement benefits and pension for life, this would help to reduce corruption in the civil and public service. The National Assembly should consider and make a law to this effect.

    All well-meaning Nigerians, workers, pensioners, opinion leaders, business moguls, civil society advocates, champions of human rights and justice and the political class should wake up and not keep silent any longer and speak to protect the Nigeria pensioner and by extension the economy. There’s multibillion naira being held in the nation’s Pension Funds Accounts, yet retirees/pensioners are owed for many months and years, suffering in penury and unable to cater for their health and family needs. Some die in the processes of waiting to be paid. This affects all categories of pensioners, in the private sector, in the civil and public sector, the military and paramilitary, the local, state and federal government.

    The National Assembly and executive arm should adjust the Pension Act to give the retiree the liberty to decide how much to withdraw as gratuity on retirement from service. They should be allowed to withdraw not less than 80% of the balance standing in their Retirement Savings Account. If the government still insist on holding on to something, it should not be more than 20%. For the retiree who wants his/her total gratuity to be paid to him/her to manage his/her finances, government should give them the freedom and not gag them.

    After all, various laws of the land hitherto enacted by our National Assembly which were meant for the good of the people but which were later found to be deficient in one form or the other are known to have been repealed. In the same vein, the payment arrangement of gratuity under the Contributory Pension Scheme should not be an exception, because the beneficiaries are groaning under it. It is an evil wind that does no good to those it is meant to benefit.

    The labour unions being the representatives of the workers/pensioners should be involved in the decision making on payments of gratuity and pension. They should ensure that the exploitation of the workers/pensioners is restricted by legislation and they should formulate political demands on the political class. They should also educate their members on all the nitty-gritty of payment of gratuity and pension and their implications.

     

    • Elder Okoi writes from University of Calabar.
  • NLC calls for upward review of pensions

    NLC calls for upward review of pensions

    President Nigeria Labour Congress, ( NLC ) Comrade Ayuba Wabba has called for an upward review of pension to help minimise economic hardship facing pensioners.

    Wabba said this at the 16th edition of Pensioners Day Celebration in Abuja.

    He said that the review of pension was long overdue, saying Federal and State government had been adhering to the constitutional provision.

    “Section173(3) and 210(3) of the federal republic of Nigeria constitution 1999 (as amended) stipulate that pension be reviewed every five years or together with any increase in workers’ wages.’’

    According to him, it is criminal that federal government pays N4000 as pension to some pension in this hard economy, if we want a better Nigerian than we must be willing to take care of our pensioners and workers.

    “ Our country is so blessed with various resources but it is a pity that we cannot account how it been spent.

    He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for releasing the bailout fund to states to pay pensioners and workers, urging that government monitors and make them accountable on how the money was been spent.

    He said government needs to take care of the security and welfare of its people in other to avert some of the security challenges in the country.

    He appealed to pensioners to support one another, adding that the NLC will continue to show their support and solidarity.

    Executive Secretary of Pension Transitional Administration Directorate, Ms Sharon Ikeazor, said the payroll for pensioners for December was ready and pensioners would get their pension before Christmas.

    “ We got releases to pay six months out of 12 months been owed civil service pension out of the 36 month we have paid six month out of it.

    “ For police pension we paid them one year out of the 33 months and we just have a balance for 12 months for police pensions.

    “Government is making the money available we will pay up,” she said.

    She said the essence of the verification was to make sure pensioners were fully capture so that there would not be need for them to come back again.

    Ikeazor promised that by the first quarter of 2018 the directorate would pay the arrears of the 33 per cent increase.

  • Council boss lauds Ugwuanyi on payment of salaries, pensions

    Council boss lauds Ugwuanyi on payment of salaries, pensions

    THE Transition Committee Chairman of Enugu North Local Government Area in Enugu State, Hon. John Ezeh, has applauded Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for the recent verdict by the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), which listed Enugu as one of the few states in the country that are up-to-date in payment of workers’ salaries and pensions.

    The committee chairman said that the verdict demonstrated the governor’s visionary and innovative approach to governance borne out of his commitment to the welfare of the workers and the need to reactivate the state’s economy for the common good of the people of the state. Reacting to the verdict, Hon. Eze said Governor Ugwuanyi deserves a wide commendation for his accountability, fiscal discipline and dexterity in managing the lean resources of the state, which he said made it possible for his administration to be up-to-date in payment of workers’ salaries and still execute numerous massive development projects.

    “Your Excellency, this well deserved verdict by NULGE did not come as a surprise. This is because your well detailed and people-oriented programmes anchored on infrastructural development, good governance, economic growth, empowerment, urbanisation, rural expansion, entrepreneurship, etc, speak volume and clearly show that governance in Enugu State hasn’t only been seamless but very pragmatic, robust and progressive. “We are therefore not in doubt of where we will be tomorrow. In our noble state, you have instituted a most dynamic and purposeful leadership, creating the Enugu State of our dreams; the Enugu State we crave and the Enugu State we deserve,” the chairman said.

  • We paid N1.64trn to States. LGs for salaries, pensions, others – FG

    We paid N1.64trn to States. LGs for salaries, pensions, others – FG

    The Federal Government on Sunday said it released additional support of N1.64 trillion to states and local governments between 2015 and 2017 as part of measures to stabilize the polity.

    President Muhammadu Buhari revealed this in a broadcast to commemorate Nigeria’s 57th Independence anniversary on Sunday in Abuja.

    He said that the funds were released to enable the states and local governments to “pay outstanding salaries, pensions and small business suppliers who had been all but crippled over the years.

    “N200 billion in 2015, N441 billion in 2016 and N1 trillion in 2017, altogether totaling N1.64 trillion.

    “This was done to enable states to pay outstanding salaries, pensions and small business suppliers who had been all but crippled over the years.’’

    Cue out audio

    The president disclosed that the Federal Government’s current N500 billion Special Intervention Programme targeted groups through the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme and the N-Power Programme as well as providing loans to small-scale traders and artisans.

    He said that the intervention programme also covered the Conditional Cash Transfer, Family Homes Fund and Social Housing Scheme.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that civil servants and retirees in some states are still being owed by their governments, backlog of unpaid salaries, pensions and other benefits. These had led to strikes and work stoppages.

    Buhari had on Sept. 11, appealed to state governors to pay all understanding salaries of their workers, and accumulated pensions of ex-workers from the additional funds provided to them by the Federal Government.

    He made the appeal when he met with members of the National Council of Traditional Rulers at the new Banquet hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He had frowned at the inability of the concerned state governments to pay retirement benefits and outstanding salaries of workers with their shares of Paris Club Loan Refunds paid to them.

    “We have to digress this much because I would like to convince you that I’m living with the problems of this country day-by-day, and mostly those of the ordinary people.

    “There are Nigerians that haven’t been paid for six months; there are Nigerians that have not been paid their retirement benefits for years.

    “I’m appealing to the governors (that was why we voted money, we borrowed money), please make sure you pay anybody under you, pay them because most of them depend on that salary to pay rent, school fees,’’ he had said. (NAN)