Ebonyi State governor, Francis Nwifuru, has ordered for a thorough and comprehensive auditing of the state local government system to ascertain all the details of retired workers in the system for prompt payment of all their entitlements.
The directive by the governor was disclosed to LEADERSHIP by the executive secretary of the State Local Government Pension Board, Mr Emeka Nwonu, while officially taking over the leadership of the board yesterday.
The newly sworn-in executive secretary noted that worried by the none payment of all the entitlements accrued to the retired local government staff, Governor Nwifuru mandated that the board immediately commence the collation of the retirees in the system for payments of their benefits.
“I coming into this board to represent His Excellency the Governor by making sure that this board entirely is reformed and at the end, we will be able to pay our senior citizens who have meritoriously served the state their retirement benefit.
“There is every indication that those who have served us in the state at the local government level have not been paid.
“The mandate his Excellency gave me is that I should come here, do thorough auditing, find out what is here and collate all the retired civil servants who have worked under the local government to ensure that they receive what is due for them as civil servants under the local government service commission”, he stated.
He urged the staff to join hands with him to transform the board, warning that he will not tolerate laxity, truancy and nonchalant attitude.
“The staff of this board should join hands with me let us work together to drive the programmes and policies of His Excellency. I would want them to be committed, diligent and dedicated.
“I will not tolerate laxity, I will not tolerate truancy, I will not tolerate nonchalant attitude,” he said.