Wike Orders Immediate Payment Of Gratuities, Pensions To Retirees

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has ordered the immediate payment of all outstanding gratuities, monthly pensions and death benefits due to retirees of the state.

The Director-General of the Rivers State Pension Board, Ijeoma Samuel, made this known in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.

Samuel said the payments would be done in batches, adding that the first batch is for all those who had retired up to June 2014.

He further asked those in the first batch of the exercise to come along with their retirement identification cards and other relevant documents for physical verification from June 15-23 2022.

The statement reads: “The first batch is for all those who had retired up to June 2014. All affected retirees and next of kin for deceased retirees under the first batch are requested to come to the Ministry of Justice conference hall for physical verification from June 15-23, 2022.

“We don’t want a situation where somebody who retired in 2020 will be paid first before the person who retired in 2014. We have adopted the principle of first retired, first paid.

“We want the entire exercise to be credible. There shall be no preferential treatment.

“There will be no jumping of queues. After the first batch, we will immediately commence the next batch.”