TUC tasks EFCC to investigate governors owing pension and salaries after collecting refunds, others

…Seeks salary review, 65 years retirement age for workers

Abiodun OBA

Trade Union Congress (TUC) has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate governors owing pension and salaries after collecting refunds, bailout funds, budget support funds, and the Paris debt refund.

The immediate past president general, Quadri Olaleye, made the calls shortly before handing over to the new president general, Festus Osifo, recently in Abuja.

Osifo was announced by the returning officer, Shehu Mohammed, in the early hours of Wednesday as the winner of the election conducted during the 12th Triennial National Delegates’ Conference of the congress held in Abuja on Tuesday. He would be at the helm of affairs for the next three years.

Olaleye expressed concern over the many states that still owed pensions, salaries and allowances.

“We condemn it and demand that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) investigate and bring the governors to book.

“It is our thought that paying retirees their entitlement will assist to curb corruption because when people know that they will get their entitlements when they retire, it will check stealing.

“For those of them withholding the contributory pension deductions from workers’ salaries without remitting same to their Pension Fund

Administration (PFAs), we warn that it is illegal and attracts some penalties,” he said.

TUC also called on the Federal Government to review the salary and retirement age of all core civil servants in the country.

Olaleye said it was necessary to narrow the gap between civil servants’ emoluments and those in other segments of the public service.

“The federal government during negotiation of the last new national minimum wage promised to review but has reneged. We are calling on the federal government to direct the office of the head of the service of the federation to step action in that regard.

“Similarly, what is good for the geese is also good for the gander is an age-long dictum that is still as relevant as it was centuries ago. “President Muhammadu Buhari during the 2020 World Teachers Day increased the retirement age of teachers from 60 to 65 years and also reviewed upward their length of service from 35 to 40 years,” he said.

The theme of the conference was: “The Working Class Amidst The Challenges of National security, Unemployment and Democratic Development.”