By Monday Uwagwu

Against the backdrop of the claim by organised labour to the effect that it was defaulting on its commitments, Delta State Government, last night said it was not indebted to its retired employees in respect of their entitlements.
Rather, it said it had paid more than N20Billion in lieu of its commitment to its retirees.
The Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and former leader of the state council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ovuozourie Macaulay, made the claims on Focus, a Delta Television, Asaba programme monitored in the state capital.
Macaulay spoke in response to callers’ questions on the programme and against the backdrop of the angst of organised labour in the state, claiming major defect in its remittance to the Contributory Pension Scheme operating in the state. Labour is threatening unspecified reactions if the government persists in its alleged default in making remittances to Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) as well as actual payment of retirees whose payments are due.
He said that while the state government was the clear national leader in the payment of retirees under the old pension scheme, it had consistently met its obligations, by way of remittances to the PFAs, who, under the rules governing the new pension scheme, are to pay the retirees.
The SSG attributed the alleged delay in actual payments to the retirees to the teething problems associated with any new policy. But he exonerated the government of liability for the hiccup.
He said: “Before now, you know that the Delta State Government was the most active in the payment of pensions; at times, we were intervening on behalf of the Federal Government..The new Contributory Pension Scheme is not our policy; we are only abiding by it . We will continue to abide by it. I think that what is happening is that the process of change or handing over of baton is not easy. I think that is what is happening.
“What I can assure Deltans is that whatever they have paid in and whatever the government is supposed to pay in has been met. The problem is with the PFAs and the Federal Government; the problem is not with the state government. Delta State Government is not indebted. We have put in more than N20billion in the pension matters.”
According to him, the government was however looking into the reports of non-payment to retirees by PFAs, with a view to resolving the issue.
He equally fielded questions on the government’s efforts to rectify the failed section of the strategic Maryam Babangida way, Asaba, as part of efforts at ensuring easing movement in the city.
He urged Deltans to “stay hooked to your government because we have only one state,” adding that they should equally be patient with it.

That's very good