The Rivers State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)  has blamed the delay in the payment of pensions to retirees from July 2025 to date on the recent political crisis in the State.

The union also urged the affected retirees to be patient, assuring that something is being done about it.

The NLC State chairman, Comrade Alex Agwuanwon, disclosed this in an interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt.

He said the delay was not intentional but was caused by the political crisis that engulfed the state, resulting in the declaration of a State of Emergency, last year.

The NLC boss assured that with the resolution of political crisis in the State and the restoration of peace between the executive and legislative arms of government, the issue of payment of pensions to retirees will soon be addressed.

He, therefore, stressed the need for those affected to be patient.

“My appeal to them is that, it is not intentional. The steps are on to address the issues,” he said.

Agwuanwon also told The Tide that the labour movement had earlier  rejected the contributory pension scheme by insisting that civil servants presently in the employment of the government should remain in the old pension scheme.

He said it was against this background that a committee was set up.

According to him, the committee has produced its report which has been submitted to the state government on the issue.

The NLC chairman expressed hope that the report would not only be sent to the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) but also the State House of Assembly with a view to fast-tracking its passage into law.

He said the union made efforts within the period of the State of Emergency to get the scheme amended so that retirees can assess their pension.

“We are not comfortable with the contributory pension scheme, so, asking the civil servants to enroll into the scheme for us is not acceptable. It was totally rejected, so, the old scheme has to run.”

He described the sufferings of retirees, especially during the period of emergency as “a sacrifice we paid for that period.”

“For us, it is very unfortunate, so at that point, there is nothing anybody could have done at this point.

“For us, we made efforts within the period, but the story is that it is a law,” he said.

Giving more insight into the committee’s report, the NLC boss said civil servants, especially those currently in the employment of the state government, will continue to remain in the old scheme.

In his words, “They will continue to run in the current scheme, after retirement they will continue to enjoy their monthly pensions, they will get their gratuities and other benefits, but those that are going to be employed subsequently will be enrolled into the contributory pension scheme,” he said.

He said once the committee report is implemented, those affected will be captured and arrears of their pensions will be paid.

John Bibor

The Niger Delta Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Trade, Mines and Agriculture (NDCCITMA) is planning the largest Agricultural hub and logistics system in the Niger Delta.
Chairman, Board of Directors of the Chamber, Idaere Gogo Ogan, who disclosed this at the maiden edition of the Niger Delta Economic and Investment Summit in Port Harcourt, said the facilities will work on the concept, zero waste of agricultural produce in the region, when established
“Simply put, it is from farm to supermarket or to the export terminal. This hub will be fed from aggregation centres spread across the nine states of the Niger Delta. So, watch out for the take-off agreement with small farmers cooperative.
“The next agricultural revolution is about to begin here in the Niger Delta”, he said.
Ogan said the chamber in partnership with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has facilitated over #5 billion to four thousand Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) operators from across the nine states of the region.
According to him, the summit was coming at a decisive moment in the history of the region, adding that this time it would no longer be the usual talkshop
“Therefore, this economic and investment summit is not going to be a fertile ground to theorize, postulate, or hypothesize. We are tired of hearing this almost redundant cliché of the enormous potentials of our dearly below Niger Delta region.
“This platform so intentionally created is all about maximizing. It’s about value creation. Our focus, therefore, for this event, is to move conversation from resources to productivity, from extraction to value, from dependence to a sustainable economic diversification.
“The Niger Delta is blessed with investment opportunities that got across several critical sectors: technology. Agricultural and agro-processing; oil plant value chains; gas utilization; petrochemicals; maritime; tourism; and digital technology.
“For the most significant goal of this is the investment in our high child youth population and everything represented here today.
“The challenge before and now is nurturing that vital handshake between government and the private sector. That has been the missing link in our development agenda”, he explained.
The NDCCITMA Board Chairman said the Chamber is working hard to close the gap in GDP between the South West and the Niger Delta.
“We are going to work so hard for this to happen as the manifestation of this leads to our present growth and development potentials for our region. And guess what? That in itself will close the yearning gap from a GDP sense between us and our southwest brothers, which stands at N30Trillion today” he said. Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of Acess holding, Aigbote AiG -Imoukuede, has decried the high level of poverty in the region.
Imoukuede, who was the Guest Speaker at the summit, said “despite receiving over $140 billion in federal allocations since 1999, our people are multidimensionally poor.”
He said natural resources alone cannot translate into wealth, stressing that what the region needs is a development and investment compact.
According to the Guest Speaker, time has come for the region to move away from a rent economy to a productive economy.
Imoukuede challenged the elites in the region to embark on soul searching, adding that this is the time the elites who benefited from scholarships in the region should examine their level of contributions to the development of the region.
For the Director General of The World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Niger Delta certainly needs a regeneration

John Bibor, Joy Kenneth & Chinaza Jennifer

The Chairman, Rivers State Local Government Service Commission (RSLGSC), Sir Israel N. Amadi, has charged members of the Ad-Hoc Biometric Verification Complaints Committee set up to address issues arising from the just-concluded biometric verification exercise to be prudent and timely in the discharge of their assignment.
Amadi, who gave the charge at the inauguration of the committee in Port Harcourt, weekend, said the committee was constituted to provide an avenue for workers who were not captured during the exercise, and those who felt they were wrongly affected by its outcome, to present their complaints for proper consideration.
He urged the members to approach the assignment with fairness, diligence and objectivity, stressing the need to carefully examine every complaint brought before them. According to him, the committee’s work was particularly important because the biometric verification exercise had generated concerns among some workers, adding that genuine cases should be given proper attention.
The Chairman continued that the Commission expected the committee to complete its assignment within the stipulated period and submit its findings for further consideration.
He disclosed that the 12-member committee will be headed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government Affairs, Dr. Mina Jaja, and has one month to complete its assignment.
Other members of the committee are: Dame Tong Awani; Dr. Gwara L. Nuka; Dame Josephine Chukwujwe; Sammy Apiafi; and the Mayor of Port Harcourt City, Hon. Alwell Ihunda.
Others are the President, Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Rivers State Council; the President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Rivers State Council; and the Biometric Verification Consultant, Charles Emini.
The Assistant Director, Department of State Services (DSS), Rivers State, Samuel Epogo, and the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State, are to serve as observers to the committee, while Warisenibo Ubani I. George, is the Secretary of the committee.
Speaking on behalf of the members, Jaja assured that the committee would justify the confidence reposed in it by being thorough, diligent and objective in handling the complaints before it.

King Onunwor