As He Explain Plans To Pay Pensioners
The Rivers State Head of Service, Barrister Rufus Godwins, has confirmed that renovation works will soon commence at the State Secretariat Complex, as promised by the Governor, Nyesom Wike.
Mr. Godwins, in an interview with TPCN, said the governor was bent on leaving an enduring legacy in the state, recalling that past administrations failed to carry out repair works at the secretariat complex.
“The renovation will be comprehensive. The governor does not make light of his promises and we should give him kudos for that because the previous administration neglected the complex to decay” he said.
The governor had recently announced that the renovation works would be handled by construction giant, Julius Berger Nigeria Limited.
On the payment of arrears due to promotion and incremental credits of civil servants as well as retirees’ pensions, the head of the service said the Wike-led administration was doing well in terms of regular salary and pension payment.
” This state is ahead in the country, in terms of salary payment,” he said, adding that the government is not owing to any civil servant.
Further explaining on the pension, Godwins said the government was working out details of how to pay those who have not been paid, stressing that there is an ongoing verification and pay-rolling exercise, and those that have not been cleared will have to go through the process.
According to him, “it will be difficult to pay all at the same time considering the backlog left behind by the previous administration; the gratuity is a huge sum. What we are talking about is the incremental benefits”
Commenting on the present administration’s policies and welfare package for civil servants, Godwins said the loan scheme rolled out by the government was to support civil servants and empower them.
He also said training courses and other in-house capacity development programmes were being conducted in the service for workers to improve their performance.
Godwins hailed the ongoing biometric exercise, “as excellent and successful”, adding that, this exercise silenced the cynics who were against it initially, but now, people are paying glowing tribute because of the standard and transparency.
The HoS further explained that their exercise would make the civil service effective, in terms of data and strategic goal attainment.
