Delta State Executive Council has approved the
Harmonised Rights of Pensioners for retired civil servants, the state
Commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, disclosed this to journalists
at a post-Council briefing, on Wednesday in Asaba.
Following the rigorous process by the Professor Sylvester Monye and Dr. Kingsley
Emu-led harmonisation committee, the state government has saved about N95.8
billion as pension liabilities between 2007 and 2019.
The meeting, presided over by the state Governor,
Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, also approved over N800 million as compensation for the
1,000 hectares of land to host Kwale Industrial Park, which Aniagwu said was
already generating appreciable interest from foreign and local investors.
Aniagwu, who was flanked by his Youths Development
counterpart, Mr. Ifeanyi Egwuyenga; the state Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) Chairman,
Goodluck Ofobruku; Chairman of the Trade Union Council (TUC), Martins Bolum, as
well as members of the pension harmonisation committee, including Monye and Emu,
also expressed government appreciation to the Ndokwa people for partnering the
Okowa administration and making their land available for the Kwale Industrial
Park towards the accelerated development of the state.
"We are aware that to ensure the development
of the Kwale Industrial Park, there was a road show in China, and investors
have started coming in, and at the EXCO meeting today, the people were
commended for agreeing to part with their land for development activities to
take place.
"The Exco approved the sum of N800 million as
compensation for the land which measures more than 1,000 hectares, and we are
confident that the multiplier benefits of having the Kwale Industrial Park is
enormous. The area is strategically located for investors to have quick returns
on their investments," he said.
On the harmonised pensions, Aniagwu said: "I
am glad to say that the leadership of the organised labour, Chairman of NLC, Oforbruku
and Chairman of TUC, Martins Bolum, who were at the Exco are also here to brief
you on the issue of pension."
Ofobruku, who expressed gratitude to Okowa for being
worker-friendly, said the governor had earned himself a position in the state
Workers’ Hall of Fame.
According to Ofobruku, "To address the issue
of accrued rights of pensioners, Okowa set up a committee and the committee
commenced work in October 2015.
"At a point, we lost hope and thought the
issue will not be dealt with during this administration, but today, the State
Executive Council has approved the harmonisation of accrued rights of
pensioners in this state.
"In other words, it means that the Delta State
Government will use the N18,000 minimum
wage to calculate the pension entitlement of retirees in the state. This means
that those who retired as far back as 2011, instead of the N7,500 minimum wage
that was used to calculate their entitlement, the government has approved that
the N18,000 minimum wage be used.
"This approval has been the labour's cry, which
has also been our struggle, and that is what the state Executive Council just
approved today.
"It might interest you to note that the
Contributory Pension Law in the state states that when an officer retires, he
should go home with at least 50 percent of his last salary, but, when the
N7,500 minimum wage was being used, officers were going home with 15 to 30 per
cent of their last salary.
"So the government has approved that we
implement what is in the law, and it will cost the state government the some of
N37 billion from March 2011 to December 2019.
"In addition, when the contributory pension
started in the state in 2007, N32 billion has been contributed to the scheme so
far by the state government."
He added: "It is interesting to know that the
Okowa administration has contributed N22 billion out of the N32 billion within
the last four years.
"The government under Okowa has answered our
prayers as organised labour and the implementation that is to take effect
immediately will meet the provisions of the law.”
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