Delta: SUBEB Pensioners Protest Non Payment Of Monthly Allowances

SAN FRANCISCO, July 23, (THEWILL) – Pensioners of the Delta State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) have protested the non-payment of their monthly allowances even as they have pleaded with the State governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, to intervene on their behalf.

Alleging that some persons were trying to short-change them, the pensioners, comprising of the teaching and non- teaching staff of SUBEB, who retired on in August, 2011, said their monthly stipends were stopped suddenly since November 2012 after they were paid the initial payment through the old pension scheme between September 2011 to October 2012 .

Lamenting that nine months after drawing the attention of the State Head of Service, Mr. Okey Ofili, and the State House of Assembly, to the matter, they said nothing has been done to the matter.

The pensioners, in a SOS letter signed by the chairman adhoc committee of the retirees, Mr. H. E Unuero and his Secretary, Mr. E. O Osikabor, and sent to the governor , pleaded with the governor to step into the matter.

The retirees alleged that while their counterparts who retired in the Local Governments in 2011 were being paid through the old pension scheme, theirs were purportedly stopped ostensibly because some persons want to keep their money in an interest yielding account to the detriment of the beneficiaries.

" As the Head of the State, your citizens will not ask for fish and you give them serpent. Please, kindly come to our rescue and restore our monthly pension to us. We are suffering greatly now, what other source of livelihood do we have than our monthly pension now at our age? Please be passionate enough and order the restoration of our monthly pension," the retirees pleaded in their letter to the governor.

Lamenting the shabby manner in which they are being treated after 35 years of service to the State and obtaining 60 years of age, they said all the relevant documents required had been, yet their payment was processed on the old pension scheme.

The protest is coming against the declaration of the Head of Service that neither the State Government or the Local Government have made its contribution to the new pension scheme on behalf of SUBEB retirees and as such, SUBEB retirees would continue to receive their retirement benefits under the old pension system.

It was gathered that following the instruction, the Director of Pension, who had commenced the processing of their benefits to the point of payment of gratuity and monthly payment from September 2011 to October 2012, suddenly stopped it in November without any cogent reason.

Lamenting their condition further, the retirees said they could not build houses before retirement due to their poor condition of service , even as they maintained that the building projects some of them started have remain abandoned as a result of paucity of fund.

They also complained of the domestic problems they were facing at home due to their inability to meet the needs of their immediate families just as their health is also deteriorating .