According to the Nigeria Labour Congress, Nyesome Wike, the governor of Rivers State, owes the state’s retirees at least 15 months’ worth of unpaid pensions.
President of the NLC, Uche Ekwe, in Birnin Kebbi, reportedly revealed this yesterday during the Kebbi State NLC delegates’ conference in Birnin Kebbi, according to the congress representative Joe Ajaero.
Ekwe complained that despite all the noise Governor Wike has been making, he has put the state’s pensioners through unimaginable agony by failing to pay their benefits for no less than 15 months, including backlogs for gratuities.
He claimed that “Wike is not Nigeria’s only governor suffocating civil personnel. It is scary and worrying what is going on in Abia State. Hope Uzodinma is depriving retirees of their gratuities and failing to pay workers’ salaries on time in Imo State as well.
“We were told by Ajaero to advise workers to interface with political candidates in every state in the federation to guarantee civil servants choose workers-friendly candidates who would meet their demands,” Ekwe said in conveying the NLC President’s message.
He commended Governor Bagudu for paying all outstanding gratuities in Kebbi State and for selecting Dr. Nasir Idris, the APC candidate, to succeed him as one of the labor leaders.
Due to his experience as a primary school teacher and rise to the position of president of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, Ekwe urged workers to cast their votes for Idris in large numbers. Idris is aware of the issues facing workers in Kebbi State.
Murtala Usman and eight other executive members were elected as the new NLC chairman in Kebbi State at the conclusion of the conference.
