Chairperson of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Rivers State, Beatrice Itubor has disclosed why the State NLC would not support Governor Nyesom Wike’s Presidential bid.
According to her, Wike has failed to transform the state including human capital, describing him as a “Television governor,” who has littered the state with overhead bridges.
Itubor, during an interview with The Punch on Saturday, said the governor pays monthly pensions to those who were already enrolled in the plan but has failed to pay gratuity and pension arrears.
She said, “The monthly pension is regular. I cannot lie against anybody; I will always say the truth. He (governor) pays monthly pension to those who are already on the pension payroll, but what we are talking about is gratuity and pension arrears.
“For instance, if you retire today, they will leave you for almost two years before they will key you into the monthly pension. As soon as they key you in, you start from that particular month to earn pension.
“All other months, which we call pension arrears, are gone. Then the gratuity which is the benefit the worker ought to have gone home with. These are the areas of complaint. He is not willing to even attend to them.
She also stated that the governor has failed to promote workers, noting that many sectors in the state were dead, “Education, zero; health, zero; agriculture, zero; and welfare of workers, zero. Is it when we all die, then our spirits will begin to use the flyovers?”
“He is a television governor and not people’s governor. He is also an overhead bridge governor. All other sectors are dead. Education, zero; health, zero; agriculture, zero; and welfare of workers, zero. Is it when we all die, then our spirits will begin to use the flyovers?” the NLC boss added.
