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 HoS 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 , the governor has 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.
