Brave Dickson
The Rivers State Chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has commended Governor Nyesom Wike for approving the payment of gratuities and pension arrears.
Wike had on Tuesday, ordered the immediate payment of all outstanding gratuities, monthly pensions and death benefits due to retirees of the state.
The Director-General of the Rivers State Pension Board, Ijeoma Samuel, who disclosed this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt said the payments would be done in batches.
In a chat with our correspondent, the state NLC chairperson, Beatrice Itubo described the governor’s decision as a welcome development.
She said, “this is what we have been asking for and if Wike has decided to pay pension and gratuity, then it is a welcome development.”
It could be recalled that civil servants in the state on May 1st (Workers Day) wore black clothes in protest of the non-payment of pension and gratuity.
The workers also disliked the 2023 presidential ambition of Wike and expressed comfort when the governor lost the PDP presidential primary to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
The state NLC chairperson who had welcomed the decision of the governor to pay pension had also been attacked by pensioners shortly after she clinched the 2023 gubernatorial ticket of the Labour Party.
The Vice-Chairman of the state Contributory Pensioners, Samuel Eke had insisted that Itubo will not get the vote of pensioners, adding that her leadership in NLC has not helped pensioners.
“Itubo brought the national leadership of NLC to meet with Governor Wike on issues bordering on unpaid pensions, gratuities and workers’ promotion among others.
“In the end, Itubo and her NLC group collected bribes from the state government and swept our plights under the carpet.
“The national leadership of NLC secretly left the state after meeting with the governor without addressing pensioners on what was discussed with the governor.
“The leadership of NLC in the state under Itubo has failed pensioners and we will not vote for her in 2023,” Eke said.
