Chairman, Association of Retired State Permanent Secretaries of Nigeria, ARSPON, CRS Branch, Efenji Odey, has made a passionate appeal to Cross State governor, Ben Ayade, to consider the plight of retirees in the state as the state awaits the disbursement of the expected N18.2 billions bailout funds to the state from the Federal Government.
Odey who stated this in a statement made available to www.calitown.com, decried the plight of pensioners in the state, stating that his association has “been under tremendous pressure to speak up, concerning the plight of our retired colleagues who are suffering untold hardships and health challenges due to unpaid gratuities, pension arrears, minimum wage payment adjustment for domestic servants and monthly pension.”
While ARSPON recognizes the efforts the governor has been making to develop CRS economically and otherwise, despite the state’s slim resources, the association advised the governor to, “especially as we are expecting the bail out funds from the Federal Government,…phase the payment and spread it for a period until liquidation. This will endear you and government to retirees and the people of Cross River State especially in fulfilment of the current agreement with Labour in the state.” He also prayed that God will give the state governor the wisdom to resolve all issues relating to gratuities, pension arrears, wage adjustment to pensioners and other category of workers in the state.”
President Muhammadu Buhari recently okayed the release of N656.1 billion for states over a period of six months to cushion the effects of their ongoing repayment of their bailout facilities as well as to enable them meet their salary obligations. Additionally, the World Bank approved an additional $750 million financing to support the States’ Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) programme.