Thursday, 2 March 2017

EDO: PENSIONERS PROTEST OVER UNPAID SALARIES


State and Local Government Pensioners in Edo State are protesting over unpaid salaries spanning over many months. The protesters who gathered at the Edo state government house obstructing human and vehicular traffic into the government house are agitating for: 
1.   The non-disbursement of the N11.38bn bailout fun from the Presidency, Abuja for the payment of all the outstanding salaries and pension entitlements (i.e arrears and gratuities) to both local and state pensioners
2.   Immediate re-opening of the Pensions Board or Bureau to enable those yet to process their pension papers to do so without any further delay
3.  Immediate commencement of the harmonization of all those due for such as exercise in the state to enable them to be at par with their contemporaries who retired after them (ie 6%, 15% and 33% respectively).
4. Immediate payment for all the Local Government Area Pensioners whose monthly stipends have been for about 11 months now and to enroll those of them that are yet to be captured for their monthly pensions.

Addressing the protesters, Edo Deputy Governor, Mr. Phillip Shaibu said a bill on making local government systematically viable has been signed into law by the Governor. He added that the State could not continue with bailout.
 
 
Mr. Shaibu expressed the readiness of the state government to pay all workers owed. He also said the governor is determined to ensure that local governments are viable while a technical committee will establish the right party entitled to pension and gratuity.

REPORT BY KINGSLEY UCHEGBU

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