In fulfilment of the pledge made by the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom
Ezenwo Wike after he signed into law, the Rivers State Pension Reform
Law (No 4 of 2019), the Rivers State Government has commenced the
payment of pensioners under the Contributory Pension Scheme.
Head of Service of Rivers State, Mr Rufus Godwins in an interview
said that 800 Pensioners under the scheme who have completed their
biometrics have been paid.
The Rivers State Head of Service said that further biometric capture
of other Pensioners under the scheme has been scheduled by the State
Government in line with the directive of Governor Wike.
“We have placed over 800 of them on the payroll and we have started
paying them. The window for biometric capture is open and we shall
continue the process for the purpose of payment.
“Now that the process has started, none of those who fall into this
category and the labour unions have gone out to talk about it on the
radio, the way they did when the administration was working to address
the challenge it inherited “, he said.
He said by initiating the amendment of the State Pension Law ,
Governor Wike set out to comprehensively tackle the challenges he
inherited under the Contributory Pension Scheme from the immediate past
Administration in the state.
Godwins recalled that other Pensioners who are not under the
Contributory Pension Scheme have been receiving their monthly pensions
since Governor Wike assumed office on May 29, 2015.
The Governor, he noted, also cleared the four months pension arrears
he inherited from the Amaechi administration, before entrenching the
regular payment of monthly pensions.
Ahead of the last elections, the opposition in the state misinformed
members of the public regarding the true position of pensions. They
created the wrong impression that all pensioners were being owed by the
State Government, whilst those owed were under the defective
contributory pension law operated by the immediate past APC
Administration. The Wike Administration had to follow due process to
amend the law and create the platform for payment of those under the
Contributory Pension Scheme.
Governor Wike said that the Rivers State Pension Reform Law (No 4 of
2019) will help in resolving the challenges generated by the
Contributory Pension scheme.
He said that the State Government is committed to ensuring that
civil servants and pensioners are catered for, with the challenges
they faced completely addressed.