BENIN CITY- Edo State Governor Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has commenced the payment of outstanding gratuities to State pensioners whose gratuities has been pending.
Presenting the checks to pensioners who retired from the state civil service in 2010 and 2011 yesterday in Benin City, Governor Oshiomhole said the State Government had started the review of the entire process of paying pension and gratuities to pensioners in the State, assuring that it would no longer be business as usual while emphasizing his determination to do his best within the available resources.
The Governor said, “As the former President of the NLC, I appreciate the value of gratuity and what it represents to the average worker who has spent all his life working. But I am sure you would remember when I assumed office on November 12, 2008, I found that people who had retired 9 years earlier, 10 years earlier, some 12 years earlier, those who retired during the military and those who were retired by Igbinedion government in 2000 and those who retired thereafter, their gratuity were not paid.
“Of course, I was very angry with those who were responsible for that delay but they told me they did everything they could, particularly with the mass retirement in 2000 but nobody was ready to listen. But that meant we had so many years arrears of people who had retired, many had died, many were dying and there was no hope of paying their gratuity”.
According to the Governor, “I was angry over this and my first decision was that I will not be dealing with the arrears, I will start to pay those who retired from the day I assume office. But on further reflection, I realize that, that will not be fair to the average pensioner because they were not responsible for their not been paid.”
“So I decided therefore that I will have to take responsibility to clear all the arrears but the amount involved was so huge and of course, our revenue is not so much. I observed that once, you have decided to pay that the way the pension and gratuity was being done was based on what I called, ‘godfatherism’. That is to say, if you know the Governor, or the governor’s wife or you are a relation of the Head of Service, they might put your name for the payment of gratuity.”
“So, I tried to reorder it, to remove this favoritism and ensure that pensions were paid, batch by batch. Now, we have been doing that but I think initially, because our resources were small, I said let’s start with at least 10 million naira and I have increased it up to 60 million by the middle of last year. But I look at the number and I realized that if we continue that way, we may never be able to pay everybody and so, realizing that my tenure is coming to an end, I felt I should do more to look for more money to deal with the issue of pension”.
Governor Oshiomhole continued, “You know, One other decision I took on assumption of office is that I directed the Accountant General to ensure that those who have pensioned and have been cleared to receive the pension, to ensure that the same day those who are working are paid, the day I receive my pay, that must be the same day those pensioners are paid”.
According to him, “Few people have gotten for 2010, but the majority have not gotten and nobody has gotten for 2011 and so on and so forth. So I decided that we had to look for bulk money. First, I know that from all that I can see, that government will never have all the money to meet all our obligations so we have to find a way to prioritise.”
“We apologize for this delay and I am assuring you that we are doing everything possible to fast track the process. I understand that in this hall, we have about 800 persons and we said we are doing it year by year. So we have brought together in this hall, 2010 and 2011. One other thing that I discovered which we are also going to clean up is that I am told there are people who retired 2, 3 years ago and they have not finished calculating their pension benefits so that they can be put on the pension system.”
“I do not understand why it should take ,more than 2 weeks from the time somebody retires to have all the documentation to be completed, Nigeria has gone beyond the age of Mungo Park.”
“Let me summarize by thanking you from the button of my heart for your support for this government and for your patience over the period and I assure you that now, the waiting time is over. Gratuities will be paid. Let me also assure you that this gratuity will not be paid piecemeal, not that they will give you 40%, 50% and then you come back another day, no. this present gratuity will be paid in full at once.”
In his vote of thanks, the Chairman, National Union of Pensioners, Edo State Chapter, Comrade Enaruna said, “From the expression on the faces of the Pensioners, the Governor has done well. I can never thank you enough.”
Responding on behalf of other Pensioners, Mr. Omoruyi Etinosa Godspower said, “I express my unfathomable and inexhaustible gratitude to the Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, in fact, this is historic. What we are really happy about is your sincerity.”
Mrs. Odion Ugbesia Lily, Mrs. Egharevba Kudirat and the Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners NUP also joined in thanking the Governor on behalf of the benefiting pensioners.
Climax of the meeting was the presentation of cheques to some of the pensioners to demonstrate the commencement of payment of gratuities by Governor Adams Oshiomhole while others would receive their gratuities paid into their individual bank accounts.
Among those that receive their gratuity cheques are Mr Yesufu Yahaya, Mr Omoruyi Etinosa Godspower, Mrs Odion Ugbesia Lily, Mrs Egharevba Kudirat, Mr Abhurimen Robert and Mr Ojo Osagie.
The ceremony was witnessed by the Edo State Head of Service, Mrs Gladys Idahor, Chief of Staff to Edo State Government, Hon. Patrick Obahiagbon, Commissioner for Establishment and Special Duties,, Comrade Didi Adodo and the Account General of the State, Mr Isaac Ehiozuwa.
