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From Joe Obukata Ogbodu, Warri
Hundreds of local government and primary school retirees yesterday protested what they describe as “arbitrary deductions and manipulations” in their recently paid pensions and gratuities.
The placard-bearing protesters under the auspices of the Forum for Local Government Retirees and the Association of Retired Primary School Teachers (ARPST) on Wednesday registered their grievances at Orerokpe, Okpe Local Government Council of the State.
Some of the placards borne by the peaceful protesters read: “The workman deserves complete payment,” “Gov Oborevwori, come to our rescue,” and “Refund our short payment.”
The protest is coming on the heels of the ongoing stakeholders sensitisation and enlightenment tour of local government councils and the local government education authorities by the Bureau of Local Government at the council Secretariat.
The protesters, in a joint statement signed by chairmen and secretaries including Pastor Daniel Onosanimoni, Prince Gordon Etuwede, Builder Godwin Ekeleni, and Comrade John Egie, respectively, accused the State Government and its consultant of short-changing them by between N2 million and N10 million each, calling on Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to urgently intervene.
While appreciating the State Government’s effort to pay arrears up to September 2024, they alleged that the exercise was riddled with “manipulations and flaws”, demanding immediate refund of deductions, a return to the old pension template, and a review of the consultant’s work to ensure equity and justice.
They blamed the irregularities on the consultant engaged by the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), alleging that it altered key parameters in the pension computation.
The statement reads in parts: “The payments were fraught with manipulations and flaws that have led to the short payment of Local Government and Primary School Teachers retirees to the tune of between N2 million and N10 million.
“Bond rate was changed from 10 per cent to 13.5 per cent which brought about 52 per cent reduction from our pensions.
“There was no corresponding increase in the interest rate as 5 per cent was used even when Pension Fund Administrators are offering between 11–13 per cent annual interest rate. Government should give us a corresponding interest rate of 13.5 per cent from 2011–2024.”
The retirees argued that the reform was unjust and unconstitutional, violating the Pension Reform Act 2014 and Section 210 (1 & 2) of the 1999 Constitution, which forbid tampering with computed pensions.
The statement also alleged that N5.9 billion in pension subscriptions had not been remitted to the Bureau of Local Government Pensions.
“The above position is well known to the Bureau and the Delta State Government, and we wonder why the government is carrying out media propaganda about complete payment of our gratuities when they have not,” it added.
One of the protesters, Onosanimoni, said that the retirees were not rejecting reform but demanded fairness.
“We appreciate the governor for the ₦40 billion loan and for paying us up to September 2024, but these payments have not gone without deductions. We had a template for payment prior to now, but government introduced another consultant who came and manipulated the parameters who came and changed the tables, computation resulting in these deductions. And we are already retired. If he wants to do review we are not against that but it should be futuristic.
“More so as the money we are talking about was money that had accumulated since 2011, so if he changes the parameters, he should give us a corresponding interest rate of 13 or 15 per cent,” the Forum for LG Retirees said.
Another of the protesters, Prince Etuwede, decried what he called “a downward review” that stripped retirees of their rights.
“We want our monies refunded. Some who were supposed to get N12 million were paid as low as N650,000. For 35 years of service, they paid N3.5 million instead of N12.5 million. It’s an assault on us,” Etuwede said, as other retirees echoed his assertions in agreement.
Meanwhile, speaking at the sensitisation campaign, the Chairman of the Bureau, Chief Benjamin Ego, represented by the Secretary, Mr Frank Atube, noted the issues raised and assured that the Bureau will do the needful and escalate the demands.
The Bureau had earlier, during its tour stop in Koko, Warri North LGA, allegedly claimed that no retiree in Delta State is owed, a development which was said to have triggered the retirees who had been short paid to stage the protest to correct the misinformation being peddled to the public.
