Delta State Government has warned retirees from the State Public Service not to give bribe to anyone for processing of pension benefits as effort is underway to clear all backlogs of pension in the state.
Sir Edwin Ogidi-gbegbaje, Chairman, Delta State Bureau for Pension, gave the charge when members of the Asaba Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), paid him a courtesy visit in Asaba.
Gbegbaje, said that the Bureau has ensured that the state retirees would not have to spend years before getting their pension and retirement benefits, noting that it was absurd for anyone to pay a dime to any officer for the processing of their pension benefits.
He said regrettably there could be allegation of fraud against our officials, adding that journalist should investigate and establish that fact before publishing their reports.
He said, “Nobody is expected to pay a dime to access his pension benefits in the state. Anybody who pays money to anyone, for the sake of his or her benefits to be processed, the person is acting on his own. Such person does not have the instruction of the bureau to do so. Government will prosecute any staff who indulge in such act.”
He tasked journalists to ensure balanced reportage and to check the excesses of quacks on the social media even as he warned against character assassination, adding that reputation took years to build and should not be damaged in a jiffy by quacks on the social media.
Also, Mr Lawson Efenudu, Secretary to the Bureau, lauded the leadership role of the Bureau Chairman, Ogidi-gbegbaje which has brought a new lease of life into the scheme.
He said that the Bureau was committed to ensuring prompt payment of the retirees benefits both to the new and old pension scheme pensoners which runs side by side in the state.
He thanked the immediate past Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa for depleting the pension liabilities and thanked Gov. Sheriff Oborevwori for his commitment towards pensioner and retirees plight.
Earlier, the Chairman, Asaba Correspondents Chapel, Comrade Ifeanyi Olannye, said that the visit was to congratulate the Chairman on his appointment.
“Primarily, we are here to congratulate you on your appointment and we urge you to deploy that determination and zeal that we have known you for into ensuring prompt payment of the retirement benefits and pension to retirees of the state workforce.
“We have observed with nostalgia the pains retirees go through in the country, Delta not exempted, while trying to access their pension. More worrisome is that many have died without accessing their benefits due to delay occasioned by bureaucracy in government.” he said.
He lauded Gov. Sheriff Oborevwori for the prompt intervention to address the challenges of pensioner and retirees of the state public service.
We are not, however, unmindful of the commitment of His Excellency, Gov. Sheriff Oborevwori, who immediately extend his magnanimity by releasing certain amount running into billions of naira to ensure the payment of pension arrears for state and local government workers as soon as he stepped into office.
We also have no doubt that in line with the Governor’s M.O.R.E Agenda, and with you, Sir Edwin Ogidi-gbegbaje on the saddle as the Chairman, State Bureau for Pension, state workers are in for a fair and equitable deal as retirees of the state government would have no cause to worry.
While we congratulate you on your new but demanding appointment, we urge you to remain committed to delivering the dividends of democracy in order to put smiles on the faces of state retirees to enable them live longer by ensuring prompt payment of their retirement benefits and pension.
“It has ,therefore, become necessary to partner with you to further deepen the Gov. Oborevwori’s M.O.R.E. Agenda geared towards addressing the old age issues relating to pension and retirees challenge in the state.” Olannye stated.