Count yourselves out of minimum wage benefit, Bayoko tells Contributory scheme retirees ~ Truth Reporters

By Andy Emephia

Delta public servants who retired after the Contributory pension law came into being in 2007, will not benefit from the new minimum wage implementation recently approved by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori.

Consequently, only those who retired before 2007 when it ( contributory pension scheme) became law, will benefit from the consequential adjustment regime and "defined benefit scheme".

The clarifications were made on Sunday, November 3, 2024, by the State Head of Service,  Mr Reginald Bayoko, MNI, while reacting to concerns on the date of retirees benefitting from the minimum wage consequential adjustments.

Mr Bayoko, speaking at the 14th edition of the Delta State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists ( NUJ), hangout, tagged "from parley to party", explained that the Contributory pension scheme which took effect in 2007, had, by contributing a percentage of their salaries alongside government's contribution,  had automatically meant that they were contributing towards their retirement benefits.

The Head of Service who said the Contributory pension scheme was more beneficial to retired public servants though it suffered some hiccups at inception due to "political will" by the government's at that time ( 2007), to put in their expected funds on behalf of the work force

Going down memory lane on his eight years sojourn as number one public servant in Delta State, Mr Bayoko said substantial reforms have been made in the public service under his watch.

On the issue of ghost workers and absconding  person's, the Head of Service said he has already caused to be effected, apart from person's on study leave, those who don't come to work for questionable periods of time, will not only have their names expunged from the payroll, but also those who have aided and abetted them in receiving salaries will equally face disciplinary measures.

On the issue of recruitments into the service, Mr Bayoko said what the Governor Oborevwori administration has done is "targetted recruitment" into specialized areas as teaching, health, and engineering, while the act of "manpower rebalancing postings" have been embarked on, in order to ensure that areas that needed professionals were manned by those already in the civil service but we're hitherto in populated offices.

Mr Bayoko said Delta with over 48,000 public servants in it's employ, was heads above many states in the federation in terms of a worker friendly environment, describing the State's secretariat, the Professor Chike Edozien secretariat, as a worker friendly state of the art edifice second to none in Nigeria. 

Earlier, the Chairman of NUJ Delta State Council, Comrade Churchill Oyowe, had commended the Head of Service for his role in pioneering a seamless work ethics among public servants in the state, as well as the role he played in ensuring that the consequential adjustment in the minimum wage was approved speedily by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori.