…….decry 10 months pension arrears since 2015
Ubong Sampson – Uyo
Retired Primary School Teachers and next of kin of deceased teachers in Akwa Ibom state, Wednesday, took over the Aka Road entrance of IBB Way, Uyo, the state capital, denying vehicular road users access to the road in protest of non-payment of ten months pension arrears, other outstanding arrears and gratuity amounting to over N28.8bn.
Staging the protest as Forum of Retired Primary School Teachers, the protesters also accused the Akwa Ibom state government of having compulsorily deducted 7.5 per cent of their salaries while in service, with the promise of refunding them with the accumulated sum upon retirement, a promise they said, the government is yet to fulfill years after their retirement from service.
The group displayed placards with varying inscriptions such as “Accountant General pay us our pension arrears,” “Emmanuel save our souls,” etc., while a video captured by our correspondent in the state showed the retirees on the ground wailing over the “untold hardship they are suffering” as a result of their owed entitlements
Addressing the press, Chairman of the forum, Rev. Felix Ime Cookey said it was insensitive in the part of government to withhold their only source of livelihood after they had given in their vibrant years in the service of the state. He noted that this was even as they have been clamouring for upward review of pension for primary school teachers, as it was, according to him, pathetic that some of the retirees are still receiving a paltry N2000 as pension.
“Early this year, the government carried out verification exercise to ascertain the actual number of retired teachers both living and late ones.
“In the course of the verification, 3,503 teachers living were duly verified and 1,479 late cases with the total number standing at 4,982″, the chairman hinted.
He added that after verification exercise, only a paltry N600m has been released in three batches at N200m per batch, for payment of gratuity out of N28.8bn.
“Out of this number, only about 118 living teachers and 163 late cases have been paid within batch 1,2,3 and the amount of money used is about N600m. The amount is grossly inadequate and going by the trend, it therefore means that the Governor will not finish 2011 living and 2004 late cases.
“It is unthinkable that the governor can withhold the only source of livelihood of these set of people who cry day in and day out since October 2015. The 2015 retired teachers are owed ten months from July 2015 to April 2016, whereas all documentation had since been completed and clearance issued before June 2015,” Cookey noted further.
Asked what efforts they made to reach the governor, Cookey said they have approached all major organs of government on the issue.
“I want to tell you, we have approach all the major organs of the government, there was a time the had of civil sevice asked us to group 2015 to sort because of lack of funds , we made the groupings and he made presentation to the Accountant General. The AG controlled the payment of pension up till April 2020.
The state’s Accountant General, Mr. Uwem Andrew Essien did not respond to SMS sent to his 08034*01*** phone line by our correspondent to have his comment on this.
Cookey further appealed to the governor to stop dribbling them and pay up all their entitlements, as, according to him, they are humans and their pension is their right.
“On the issue of payment of pension, we congratulate the government for making it prompt and regular. But this month we have not received the pension, and we were told that it was due to the change of payment platform but we want to say that the government should set up a concrete standard payment platform for the payment of primary school teachers pension, he added.
Commenting on the issue of gratuity, Cookey said, “the issue of gratuity is that of inadequate release of funds and this funds are released within three months interval, whereas the government promised us that it will be on monthly basis. Besides, that release of 100 million is grossly inadequate”.
Attempts at further enquiries had led our correspondent to information that the chairman of ALGON in the state would have a detailed information on the issue of prinary school teachers’ pension and gratuities, since they are staffed under the local government service commission.
However, the said chairman, Iniobong Robson who doubles as chairman of Esit Eket local government, did not respond to SMS and WhatsApp messages sent by our correspondent to his 080371*4*** phone line even as of press time.
