Pensioners to shut down Calabar over N9b debt

The Association of Cross River State Local Government Pensioners has given the state government a one-month ultimatum to defray their entitlements else their entire 5, 600 members would occupy and shut down Calabar, the capital city.

Chairman of the Association, Comrade Bassey Okosin, addressing reporters in Calabar yesterday stated that the pension board if properly managed, could properly manage itself without assistance from Paris Club Refunds, bailouts or any other such funds.

Okosin said over N9billion is being owed pensions and gratuity is being owned them since 2007.

“We would mobilize all our 5,600 members from the 18 local government of the state. We would sleep in the governor’s office, in the house of assembly. We would live with the Governor, the Speaker, the ministries, departments and all the relevant agencies until the give us our money so we can go. We have taken a decision to pack our loads to live in all the offices that responsible for the payment of these entitlements until further notice. This is not threat but likely going to happen in the next one month. We use this medium to appeal to government and all our relations based in Calabar to make adequate arrangements for our needs. It is our belief that all will prefer to take care of us this way than pay for us to take care of ourselves,” Okosin said.

A statement by the chairman made available to reporters, read in parts, “In a press release credited to the Commissioner for Finance, it was stated clearly that the bailout funds and the Paris Club Refund was used among others in the payment of arrears of pension and gratuity in favour of pensioners in the state.

“My response to this will be restricted to local government pensioners and I speak on good authority that up till today not even a dime has been paid to any local government pensioner in the state in the name of pension arrears nor gratuity from the bailout nor Paris Club Refund. All efforts made in this direction have been ignored by the relevant agencies of government.

“About 600 names of local government pensioners that were omitted by the consultant during the 2016 personnel audit exercise is still outstanding. This was deliberate to enable the consultant collect their percentages, which was supposed to be based on savings made from the exercise.

“The elderly men and women were deprived their pension for a period ranging from two to six months as a result of that exercise. Every documentation/verification of those names have been done for over a year now but nobody appeared to bother about it. This is different from arrears of pension generated by administrative bottleneck, where a person is retired and the process of computing entitlement will linger for between 6 months to two years. When eventually it is ready for payment. Only the current month is paid, while the rest is classified as outstanding arrears.

“As at today, over 9 billion is outstanding in respect of arrears of pension and gratuity covering the period 2007 to 2018 in favour of local government pensioners. They have been denied these entitlement on account of lack of funds, the bailout fund and Paris Club Refund we are told those not include local government pensioners and no reason has been advanced for this, but we still expect that the right thing will be done alleviate the suffering of our members.

“Where does the local government pensioners belong? Which fund is expected to clear these outstanding arrears? Is local government pensioners not part of this state? If so why disparities when it comes to their welfare, whereas welfare of other services is given without stress. That of local government pensioners must always have one excuse or the other.

“We however appreciate Governor Ben Ayade in ensuring pensioners are paid regularly and up to date and pray that it should be sustained. We use this medium to also observe that while employment had stopped for over five years now, retirement rather increases at the average of 35 retirees per month.

“The nominal roll has increased to 5, 600 pensioners with a corresponding pension bill of over N342 million. Given the steady increase in number of retirees subvention to the pension board should have monthly increase to take care of the increases. Gratuity fund similar to that proposed for the state should be set up from where monthly remittances should be made to cater for this aspect of entitlement for local government pensioners.

“The operational guidelines on the management of local government pension board provided for local government pensions funds to be created from where the following remittances should be made; 15 per cent of local government annual budgets or monthly allocation; 2.5 per cent of local government personnel emoluments to be remitted by the state; reimbursement by the state for their retirees that are drawing pension from the local government pension board; subsidy to the board by the state from time to time; and reimbursement from the Federal Government for their retirees that are enjoying pension from local government pension board.

“From the provision, local government pensions board does not require a bailout or Paris Club Refund to manage the board, if all agencies ensure that actual percentages prescribed by this provision are remitted to the letter, but there is apathy on the part of all those whose responsibility it is to implement this directive, thereby subjecting the board to artificial shortage of fund, which renders local government pensioners helpless.”