The Executive Secretary of the Local Government Staff Pensions Board (LGSPB), Mr Emeka Nwonu, has said no fewer than six thousand retirees have yet to receive their retirement benefits from the Ebonyi State Government.
Out of over six thousand (6000), four thousand nine hundred and twenty (4920) are still alive, while one thousand one hundred and thirty-five (1135) pensioners are deceased.
The Executive Secretary of the Local Government Staff Pensions Board, Mr. Emeka Nwonu, disclosed this over the weekend when he visited State Governor Francis Nwifuru.
Nwonu said, “Your Excellency, I am here with the findings report for the official presentation to you, but summarily, we have a total of 4,920 living pensioners awaiting their unpaid retirement benefits, while 1,135 are deceased but owed retirement benefits. In total, the arrears stand at 9,025,073,426.20 billion.”
Receiving the board in his conference hall at the Government House, Centenary City, Abakaliki, Governor Nwifuru commended the Executive Secretary for a job well done and charged retiring civil servants to endeavor to process their retirement papers on time to enable them to collect their benefits immediately after retirement.
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“Payment of gratuities is now on a monthly basis; if you have not been paid pension, you will not be qualified to receive gratuity. Therefore, I advise you to always proceed on three months’ retirement leave to enable you to process your papers so that you will be paid immediately. We are not interested in delays,” the governor said.
He then commended the Executive Secretary of the Board for taking proactive steps to reposition the Board.
Recall that Governor Francis Nwifuru, immediately after his swearing-in last year as the governor of the state, approved the payment of pension and gratuity to retired civil servants from 1996.”