Ebonyi State to pay pensioners every mid-month

Ebonyi State, yesterday said every pensioner in the state will now be paid on or before 15th of every month while gratuity for the retirees is to be worked out by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). Governor Dave Umahi made the declaration during a meeting with the leadership of the state NLC at his Uburu country home.

He said pension should be given high priority as some of the pensioners could have been incapacitated. Governor Umahi also asked the labour union to meet with the appropriate authorities to work out the cost of paying gratuity to the pensioners.

He noted that the arrears inherited since 1993 was much, and that he could consider starting from somewhere. 'But for the immediate we are giving a bus to the TUC, RATTAWU and NUT,' he said.

Earlier, the NLC Chairman, Ebonyi State, Comrade Ikechukwu Nwafor, said they were on a courtesy call to thank Umahi for giving them three new buses and paying off all arrears of pension to retirees in the state.

'By what you have done, we as a state, is the only state that is currently up-to-date in payment of pension. This is even as we have witnessed the renovation of hospital and reconstruction of roads. We humbly appeal that gratuity be paid to our pensioners,' he stated.