Connect with us

Business

Defunct PHCN Workers Protest Non-Payment Of Entitlements

Published

12 years ago

on

In spite of BPE saying it has settled the entitlements of former workers of PHCN, some of the workers embarked on protests in some parts of the country on Monday.
It would be recalled that Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) said last Sunday that it had paid the pension and gratuity of 43,375 of former workers of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).
The Head of Public Communications of BPE, Mr Chigbo Anichebe, said in a statement that the beneficiaries were among 47,913 workers presented to the government at the beginning of the privatisation process.
But the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) on Monday threatened to shut down operations of all electricity distribution facilities if the Federal Government failed to pay its members’ terminal benefits within one week.
The National Vice-President of NUEE, Mr Mbang Etukubes, issued the threat during a peaceful protest at Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company in Lagos.
The workers’ protest disrupted business activities at the headquarters of Ikeja Electricity Distribution zone and other district offices of the company as the protesters barricaded the entrances to the offices.
Etukubes said the workers would not hesitate to shut down all power installations in Lagos if the issue of their terminal benefits were not paid as mandated.
He said that the Federal Government had reneged on the agreements reached with the workers over their terminal benefits.
The union leader alleged that more than 10,000 former workers in the power sector had not been paid, while more than 25,000 workers had not received their pension components.
“Over 5,000 workers who retired statutorily are yet to be paid their gratuity.
“The death benefits of over 1,000 people who died in active service are yet to be paid to their families,” he added.
The Lagos State Secretary of NUEE, Mr Oluwagbenga Eric, also said that more than 60 per cent of the workers had not been paid.
Eric said that workers’ contributions toward pension fund to date had also not been paid.
He said the union and government agreed that no worker should be sacked till they had been fully paid but the government acted otherwise.
“We are not against privatisation but government should pay us our money and allow us to rest in our respective homes.
“It was agreed that workers should be allowed to be on duty for six months for the new investors engineers to take over in order to understudy us but we are forced out in the name of privitasation which is against the labour law,” he said.
Eric attributed interrupted power supply in the country to the fact that capable engineers who understood the system and the machines had been sacked.
He claimed that the country hardly generated 2,500 megawatts and stressed the need for total overhaul of the power sector to meet national demands.
On the occasion, the acting Director-General of BPE, Mr Ibrahim Babagana,  apologised to the affected workers but promised that all would be paid within the next four weeks.
Babagana said that the managers of the power sector and labour unions would hold a technical meeting on Thursday to discuss the situation.
“I am worried and seriously embittered about the situation you found yourselves; I cannot pretend to say I don’t know what is going on in the system but it is not easy to compute about 47,000 workers’ entitlements without errors.
“We have identified those mistakes and we are working on it. I want to implore those who have not received their severance package to put their names down while I assure prompt payment.
“I will not be part of those who feel suffering you is the way to address issues, am also part of you and I know one day I will definitely be like you to get my entitlements.
“So, I do not want to be maltreated like this,” Babagana said.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Business

Boat Mishap Kills Pastor, Wife And Church Members  In Brass Water

Published

6 days ago

on

May 18, 2026

By

A boat accident in Bayelsa state has killed a serving Pastor, Wife and other church members along Brass waterways
The sad incident happened at Odioama in Brass local government area of Bayelsa State when the Pastor, wife and  members of his church were in a programme.
?
?Tide confirmed that the lifeless body of the Pastor’s wife has been found and deposited in a mortuary while the remains of her husband ,the Pastor is yet  to be recovered
as search party are still ongoing.
Although the real cause of the boat Mishap is not yet known as at the time of this report,  our Correspondent gathered  that the identities of the Pastor, wife and church members were not disclosed to the public.
The mishap, Tide gathered occurred on Friday morning when the church members were on a boat transit
The Bayelsa State government and the state police command are yet to issue official statement’s  on the sad accident
By: CHINEDU WOSU
Continue Reading

Business

Rivers Workers Seek Scrapping Of Contributory Pension Scheme

Published

6 days ago

on

May 18, 2026

By

The Rivers State Council of  Nigeria Civil Service Union has called on the State Government to urgently scrap the contributory pension scheme, describing it as unfavourable to long-serving civil servants in the state.
Chairman of the union, Chukwuka Osuma, said this in an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt,  recently.
Osuma said the current pension structure has continued to worsen post-retirement hardship for workers.
He noted that  the contributory pension scheme had failed to provide adequate retirement security for workers who had spent many years in service, especially those approaching retirement age.
According to him, civil servants who had served for more than 20 years were among the worst affected under the scheme, insisting that many retirees could no longer cope with prevailing economic realities.
He also  informed that the Union has made moves to showcase their concerns, pleading with Governor Siminalayi Fubara to abolish the pension policy and introduce a more favourable arrangement for affected workers.
“The union was not opposed to pension reforms, the contributory scheme should only apply to newly employed workers or those with fewer years in service”, he said.
Osuma explained that workers who had already spent decades in the civil service ought to remain under a more secure pension structure capable of guaranteeing stability after retirement.
The labour leader further noted that inflation and the rising cost of living had continued to erode the value of retirement savings, thereby increasing the suffering of pensioners across the country.
He also appealed to the state government to consider extending the years of service in the civil service from 35 to 40 years and the retirement age from 60 to 65 years.
Osuma argued that such adjustment had become necessary in view of present-day economic realities and changing conditions in the workplace.
The unionist also reviewed that similar policies had already been adopted in some sectors and jurisdictions, expressing optimism that the State could also implement the reforms for the benefit of workers.
He however, commended Governor Fubara for approving an N85,000 minimum wage for workers in the state, noting that the amount was above the national benchmark of N70,000.
Osuma also acknowledged the government’s efforts in the area of workers’ promotions and bonuses, but insisted that pension reforms and extension of years of service remained critical to the long-term welfare and stability of civil servants in Rivers State.
By: King Onunwor
Continue Reading

Business

FG Begins South-West Tour To Promote New Cooperative Bank

Published

2 weeks ago

on

May 13, 2026

By

The Federal Government has launched the South-West zonal engagement and ministerial advocacy tour on the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria share capital mobilisation, sensitisation and cooperative sector digitalisation.
 Reports say the initiative was launched through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
According to reports, the advocacy tour, organised by the ministry’s Federal Department of Cooperatives, began on Monday in Lagos.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security and Supervising Minister of Cooperative Affairs, Dr Aliyu Abdullahi, said the initiative was part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Abdullahi described the exercise as a strategic effort to reposition the cooperative sector as a key driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity.
“Today represents a defining moment in our collective determination to reposition the cooperative sector as a major driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity,” he said.
The minister noted  the modern cooperative movement in Nigeria originated in the South-West following the 1934 Strickland Report, which led to the enactment of the Cooperative Societies Ordinance of 1935.
According to him, the decision to commence the sensitisation and share capital mobilisation tour in the region is symbolic, as it marks a return to the roots of cooperative development in the country.
Abdullahi said the advocacy tour was a direct outcome of resolutions reached at the 8th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Cooperative Affairs held in Abuja in March 2026.
He said the council approved the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme, a comprehensive framework designed to strengthen the cooperative sector and align it with the administration’s goal of building a one-trillion-dollar economy.
“The reform programme focuses on seven strategic pillars, including governance reforms, cooperative financing and the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria, digitalisation, capacity building, value chain development, inclusion of youths, women and persons with disabilities, and strategic partnerships,” he said.
He said the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria and the digitalisation of the cooperative sector were the two major transformational initiatives under the programme.
“The Cooperative Bank of Nigeria is aimed at rebuilding a strong cooperative financial system capable of supporting cooperators, farmers, artisans, traders, SMEs, youths, women and persons with disabilities with accessible and affordable financial services,” he said.
Abdullahi emphasised that the proposed bank would be government-enabled but not government-funded.
“Government is not establishing the bank as an owner, nor will it rely on Treasury Single Account funds.
“The role of government through the FMAFS is to provide policy support, stakeholder coordination, regulatory facilitation and an enabling environment under the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme,” he said.
Also speaking, the Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to cooperative sector transformation.
She described cooperatives as critical tools for promoting inclusive growth, grassroots productivity, food security, financial inclusion and community wealth creation.
Ambrose-Medebem said Lagos State would continue to support reforms and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme (2025–2030).
“Together, let us build a cooperative ecosystem that is modern, transparent, digitally enabled, financially inclusive and globally competitive.
“Let us build cooperatives that not only mobilise savings, but also mobilise prosperity,” she said.
Continue Reading

Trending