By Enyinna Omoke, Abakaliki
The Ebonyi State House of Assembly Committee on Local Government, Chieftaincy and EBSIEC Matters has charged the Local Government Staff Pension Board to speed up processes that would lead to the payment of Local Government retirees in the State.
The Chairman of the Committee and member representing Izzi East Constituency, Hon Goodluck Obinna Mbam who gave the charge during an oversight visit to the Board by the House Committee noted that the State Governor, Rt Hon Bldr Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru had expressed readiness to pay all arrears of benefits owed to retirees from 1996 to 2023 and therefore, charged the Board to expedite action in working out the processes of the payment for onward transmission to the Governor for necessary actions.
Hon Mbam equally requested to know the staff strength, the wage bill, the income and expenditure and challenges facing the Board in discharging its duties.
Also Speaking, the Deputy Chief Whip and a member of the committee, Hon. Lucas Arinze Chukwu stressed the importance of the payment of the retirees, saying it will elongate and add more value to their lives.
Other Committee members who contributed including, Hon Prince Nkemka Okoro Onumah, Hon. Godwin Abiri, Hon. Oluchukwu Ukie Ezeali and Hon. Victor Nwoke, paid glowing tribute to the State Governor for providing a lifeline for the retirees as most of them were dependants on relatives before this administration.
The House Committee therefore charged the board to work with the Ministry of Budget and Planning for them to have budgetary provision in the forthcoming fiscal year.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the Board, Mr Emeka Nwonu informed the Committee that the Board was discreetly profiling local government pensioners across the 13 LGAs in order to eliminate fraud and other forms of irregularities and foul play hitherto witnessed in the past with a viewing to arriving at an uncontestable data of the actual LG retirees in the state.
According to him, once the processes are completed, the government was ever ready to commence the payment of the LG retirees’ benefits.
Mr Nwonu also disclosed that the inadequate staff strength, lack of functional vehicles, non placement of the Board on budgetary provisions and other sundry challenges had been hindering the smooth operation of the Board but stated that the challenges are being tackled.
The Executive Secretary assured the Committee that immediately the processes of verifications are completed, he was confident that the Governor would give necessary approval for the payment to commence.
He thanked the State Governor, Rt Hon Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru and the Ebonyi State House of Assembly for all their supports to the Board.
In a vote of thanks, the Head of Personnel Management of the Board, Mrs Chioma Unoke thanked the Committee for the visit and assured that the Board would continue to place high premium on the welfare of LG retirees.
