Rivers Pensioners Hit 18,073

Rivers Pensioners Hit 18,073

Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt

Following the completion of its biometric data capture, the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has approved the inclusion of 2,673 additional retirees into the monthly pension payment scheme of the state government.

The addition brings to 18,073 the number of pensioners covered in the state monthly payroll. Before now, the state had 15,400 pensioners in its monthly payroll.

In a statement issued in Port Harcourt yesterday, the state Pension Board said Wike approved the inclusion of the 2,673 pensioners after the completion of their biometric data capture.

The statement which was signed by the Director-General of the Board, Ijeoma Samuel, emphasised that the approval confirmed the commitment of Wike’s administration to the wellbeing of public servants in the state.

He disclosed that an ICT department would soon commence the biometric verification exercise for the next batch of public servants retiring between August and December 2019.

The director-general commended Wike for giving the pensioners what he called a ‘new song’ for the Christmas and New Year.

The statement said the payment of the pensioners is in fulfillment of the pledge made by the governor after he signed into law the Rivers State Pension Reform Law (No 4 of 2019). The state government has commenced the payment of pensioners under the Contributory Pension Scheme.

Samuel said more pensioners under the contributory category were being captured and paid, adding that: “It is an effective process that will shortly come to a close.”

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