By: Chiadikobi Ozor
Five local government councils in Enugu State have been identified to be owing over N104 million pension arrears to retirees of Local governorment and primary School pensioners in the state.
Comrade John Eze chairman of Enugu State Local Government and Primary School Pensioners FLGPSP disclosed this shortly after an interactive session with the chairman Nsukka local government area Hon. Cosmas Ugwueze who was represented by the head personnel management HPM.
He said the forum of Local Governorment and Primary school Pensioners FLGPSP has issued an ultimatum of one week to the affected local government councils to clear backlog arrears of pensioners in the five council areas, failure to do so would force the forum to a wild protest.
Eze said that the delay in payment of the arrears made the state pensons board unable to pay pensioners across the 17 local government areas in the state for the past one year as it is not being paid parts.
He listed the affected local government areas to include Nsukka local council N55, 001, 819, 90k, Ezeagu local government council N18, 954, 880.00, Nkanu East local government council N16, 885, 977, 35k, Udi local government council N10, 315, 039,49k and Igboeze South local government council N3, 057, 446, 22k.
Comrade Eze, the noted that the ultimatum became necessary because the hardship faced by local government and primary School pensioners has become unbearable over the non-payment of One hundred and four million, one hundred and sixty five thousand, one hundred fifty four naira (N104,165,154:00) caused by non remittance of the Satutory contributions to the state Pensons board by the five affected local government council areas
“We are in Nsukka Local Government to submit our protest latter which contains the one week ultimatum for the affected local government areas to pay our members pension arrears without further delay.
“The last time our members received pension in Nsukka Local governorment council was in December 2019 and the situation is the same in the other four local governments.
“Our members in these five local council areas are passing through hell on daily basis, some of us are sick and cannot afford to pay hospital bill.
“We have resolved that a grace of one week be given to the five defaulting council areas to pay the said amount or we would relocate to the council areas and occupy until we are paid,” he said.
Eze however, called for the intervention of the state governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, even as he described the non remittance of the pension fund as inhuman and an embarrassment to the affected local government.
“The forum is appealing to Governor Ugwianyi to prevail on the chairmen of the affected council areas to remit arrears of their statutory contributions to pension board so that our members will be paid.
“Owing pensioners attracts embarrassment to the affected local governments because they receives federal allocation every month without remitting fund to pension board,” he said.
The FLGPSP chairman commended other local government chairmen in the state for their prompt remittance of the pension fund and urged them to keep it up.
He equally disclosed that the forum had reported the issue to the Chairman of Udenu Council area Mr. Solomon Onah who is also the chairman of Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Enugu State Chapter who pleaded with them to give him time to invite the affected chairmen to a meeting so as to resolve amicably