Commission Assures Prompt Payment Of Benefits

The Rivers State Local Government Service Commission has reiterated its commitment to remove completely all challenges associated with the delay in payment of gratuities and pension benefits to workers approaching retirement in the local government service of the state.

The Chairman of the Commission, Chief Azubuike Nmerekini  gave the assurance recently at a one-day pre-Retirement Workshop organised in Port Harcourt for staff of local government councils in the state.

Chief Nmerekini said, the commission would ensure that challenges associated with early and prompt payment of gratuity to staff, immediately after retirement were completely removed.

He regretted that workers in the past were treated as if they did not render services to government as some of the retirees died because of frustrations, adding that it would not be same in his administration as Chairman of the commission.

He urged all staff of the local government approaching retirement to ensure that their documents were forwarded accordingly as stated in the commission’s new guidelines for retirement.

In his address, the Commissioner One, in the State Local Government Service Commission Hon. Kingstone Idatonye Jaja attributed falsification of date of birth in the civil service to fear  un certainty amongst some staff, when approaching that retirement  age, adding that the workshop would address such problem.

“This pre-retirement workshop is not only propitious but very important in many ways. It was necessitated by the concerns and fears usually expressed by staff and workers in the local government as they approach their terminal years of service.

“These are indeed encapsulated fears of the unknown after retirement, and we are organising this workshop to remove the challenges.” he said.

According to him, the workshop is the first of itskindd to be organised-bi-annually by the commission since its inception.

He commended the commission’s chairman, Chief Nmerekini for his foresight and vision in conceiving the workshop to  address the fears and concerns amongst staff when approaching retirement.

Also speaking, the chairman of Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, (NULGE) Barr. Franklin Ajunwo, urged the participants to  make good use of the workshop to address any questions surrounding the retirement process.

He commended the commission for organising the workshop.

Enoch Epelle