The attention of the Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has been drawn to his pronouncement to pay media retirees their entitlements, three years ago.
Making the observation over the weekend in Port Harcourt under the aegis of the League of Veteran Journalists, Senibo, Dr. A. A. Cookey, secretary, expressed surprise that the governor had refused to approve payment of the retiree’s pensions up till date.
The secretary recalled when on Wednesday, March 20, 2008, the governor had promised to pay them all their entitlements affecting those who retired before 1999.
The governor, he said, gave the indication during an interaction session at the Affred Diette Spiff Civic Centre where he unveiled his mission statement.
“I promise to address the matter soon,” he said and urged the ex-commissioner for Justice, Barr. Kenneth Chikere to forward his recommendation to him immediately.
Veteran journalist Senibo Dr. Cookey wondered why it has taken the government three years running without effecting the payment, pointing out that a lot of the beneficiaries have died without receiving their hard earned pension entitlements.
He pleaded with the governor to kindly release funds for the payment along with those who retired after 1999, before the former will all die, because these sets of retired workers did work assiduously to merit their pensions. ###
