Bayelsa fake pensioners in trouble -As governor Dickson sets up committees to verify retirees .Lawmaker uncovers ghost government schools, teachers
Fake pensioners in Bayelsa state may be in
trouble as Governor Henry Seriake Dickson has set up special committees to
verify genuine retirees of the state over the worrisome alarming increasing
rate of fraud in the state pension board.
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| Governor Henry seriake Dickson |
The committees are saddled with the
responsibilities to go from community to community to identify genuine pensioners
and pay them at the spot through the help of the traditional rulers and the
CDCs of the respective communities who will identify them for payment.
Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, the state
commissioner for Information and Orientation disclosed this at Kaiama Town, headquarters
of Kolokuma/Opokuma local government area during the public service reforms town
hall meeting held last Wednesday for the vicinity.
The Information and Orientation Commissioner
said that the state government spent N500millions monthly for the payment of
pensioners, noting that some of them were people who have never worked in the
civil service.
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| Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson |
“But a lot of
things have gone wrong in our public service. Some things you don’t want to say
because it is very shameful. There are people who are collecting pensions
today, but never work with the civil service.
Those are the
things we are trying to address. The positive thing is that all of us are ready
to support the public service reforms. Already the gains and benefits are
beginning to show, “he stated.
According to the commissioner the expectation
by government that the wage bill of pensioners would reduce is a nightmare
because immediately somebody dies before you know somebody’s name was inserted
to replace thereby defrauding the state government.
The commissioner who called on all Bayelsans,
traditional rulers and the CDCs to assist in identifying genuine pensioners at
their vicinities, asserted that the restoration government on inception to
office in 2012 inherited a wage bill of about N6billion, a situation he described
would have collapsed many local government councils in the state if not
checked.
He expressed pleasure that council’s staff
salaries in the state are now regular sequel to the gains derived from the
reforms in the councils.
“Look at the salary wage bill reduction, the
other day at Yenagoa local government council-N40Millions; the same thing here
in Kolokuma/Opokuma local government council. That N40Million is going to
people’s private pocket,” he averred.
Iworiso-Markson said the ongoing reforms were
not to witch hunt or sack any worker unless he or she involved themselves in
ill-motivated tendencies to sack themselves.
He commended the traditional rulers,
politicians, the youths, women groups and workers among others for embracing
the reforms and enjoined those who have genuine complains to submit it to the
complain desk for immediate attention.
Speaking at the forum also, the commissioner
for local government administration Pastor Agatha Goma had said that before the
public service reforms the wage bill for local government councils in the state
was N1.3Billion as at 2015 but has reduced to N950Millions under the ongoing reforms.
She added that all Bank loans owed by councils
have been paid thus paving way for regular payment of staff salaries in the council’s
ofthe state.
In his remarks the Chief Whip of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly Hon
Tonye Emmanuel Issenah has enumerated the projects executed by the restoration government
in Kaiama.
The lawmaker unearths the existence of ghost
schools, headmasters and teachers in Kolokuma/Opokuma local government area
where those involved in the fraudulent acts accumulated wealth for themselves.
Earlier
in his address the Caretaker Chairman of Kolokuma/Opokuma local government
council, Mr Wisdom Fafi had said before the reforms the wage bill of the
council’s staff and teachers was N120Millions, but has now reduced to
N80Millions sequel to the reforms.
According
to him before the reforms the council’s wage bill for teachers was N60Millions
but has now reduced to N37Millions while the council staff wage bill initially
stand at N51millions but has reduced to N39Millions.
Personalities
from different walks of life in the area spoke in support of the reform but King
Okpotari Diongoli who supports the reforms also caution the state government to
adhere strictly to the civil service rules by using the institutions to carry
out the reforms.
It
would be recalled that the Nigeria Labour Congress in the state has presented a
catalogue of demands to the state government for implementation during the last
May Day Celebration.
Workers
are optimistic that now that the state government has announced to recruit 1000
workers into the state civil service their requests should be given immediate
attention devoid of further complains of paucity of funds.
| NLC Catalogues of demands |
The group also jointly
called on the state government to commence without further delay implementation
of incremental annual steps which was stop since 2013 under the present
administration, describing the act as against the civil service rules as
practice in Nigeria.
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| Comrade John Bipre Ndiomu |
The call was contained in
the keynote address jointly presented by NLC and TUC recently to mark the 2018
Workers Day Celebration at Peace Park in Yenagoa, read by the Nigeria Labour
Congress State Chairman, Comrade John Bipre Ndiomu.
Also speaking on condition
of anonymity, a cross-section of the workforce in the state who spoke to Global
Overseer described the delay to implement incremental annual steps since 2013
as unconstitutional, unfair, oppressive and a ploy to under develop the workers
in the state. The workers wondered why only Bayelsa state government would come
up with such policies describing it as uncalled for.
They lamented that since
2013 under the present administration, workers have been denied of their right
to have access to huge sum of their lawful money which would have help them to
meet up some of their financial challenges and called for change of heart.
They also called on the state
government to commence payment of promotion arrears which they said is right in
the civil service which the present administration has been deliberating
delaying to implement.
According to them what
workers in the state are passing through as aforementioned has not been
practice in other states of the federation and therefore call for immediate
implementation henceforth to give workers in the state a sense of belonging.
The Nigeria Labour Congress in
the state also demanded from the state government to ensure that the ongoing
civil service reform in the state intended to reposition the public service for
better productivity is carried out in line with the public service rules.
Labour asserted
emphatically, enjoining the state government not to terminate any worker
wrongly placed at their points of engagement. Rather, the grade levels of such
staff should be corrected and properly placed, adding that the reforms should
be handled with utmost care.
The labour body in the
state under the visionary and pragmatic leadership of comrade Ndiomu further
appealed to the state government to give further directive to pay workers
salaries affected by the redeployment exercise to strengthen government workers
relationship.
He called on the state
government to fund the public service training institute to carry out programme
in the civil service to train and retraining of civil servants in the state
year-in, year out, stressing that the gesture would show its importance
as the civil service remains the life wire of government policy drive.
The Nigeria Labour
Congress while commending the state government for setting up of a committee to
revisit teachers that were wrongly retired as a result of physical verification
exercise with a view to recalling the affected teachers, pleaded for release of
January and February salaries of genuine staff. The body also appealed for
release of February and March check-off dues from SUBEB, pointing out that it
is illegal to with hold check off due as the money belongs to the workers.
Comrade Ndiomu further appealed
to the state government to pay the 18% minimum wage salary arrears to teachers
and also to direct local government councils in the state to absorb teachers
who have been cleared by the judicial panel of enquiry set up by the state
government as councils refused to pay the affected teachers.
Other demands by labour
from the Bayelsa State government include payment of weigh-in allowances owed
media workers in the state, payment of gratuity and death benefits to the
affected persons, provision of infrastructure and to also ensure full
accreditation and affiliation for Isaac Jasper Boro College of Education
Sagbama, provision of infrastructure and ensure accreditation of programme at
College of Health Technology Otuogidi to attract enrolment from other states as
well as to constitute and inaugurate the governing council of the International
Institute of Tourism and Hospitality among others.
Ndiomu on behalf labour
commended the state governor, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson for performing the
foundation laying ceremony for the Labour House in the state, describing the
gesture as a clear manifestation of the love he had for the workforce in the
state and his burning desire to improve on the working condition of the entire
civil servants.
The
Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral John Jonah, who represented his
boss, Governor Seriake Dickson, commended the state workforce for their
understanding during the trying times of recession, noting that the ongoing
reforms and other policies are to improve the welfare of workers.
He reaffirmed the state government earlier pledge to pay two months’
salary arrears which was not feasible, explaining that the finances of
the state is yet to stabilize citing the recent shortfall of N700million in the
monthly allocation, saying that the present administration will continue to
give priority to workers welfare.
The deputy Governor thanked the leadership of the organized labour in the state
for their continuing support and solidarity and urged them to sustain the
productive partnership.
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