By Baron Ike
The Imo state government is set to make public the names of eight retirees who have been defrauding the state of huge sums in pensions.
The eight persons earn a total of N33om per annum with some earning a monthly pension of N5m, N3m and minimum of N2 per month.
Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State told a meeting of National Union of Pensioners and Nigeria Labour Congress on Friday at the Government House Owerri that nothing will stop him from automating the payment system of the state to stop the brazen stealing of public funds by a band of payroll criminals.
Governor told a bewildered NLC and NUP members that pensioners who recently engaged in protest were being used by the persons who are beneficiaries of the pension theft and advised the retirees to give his government a chance so that payment will be seamless.
The governor reiterated that payment of salaries and pensions was not an achievement any government should be parading, saying, it is the right of workers and pensioners to be paid their entitlement.
Governor Uzodimma however, said he is planning to migrate the state into the national contributory pensions scheme.
The Governor reiterated his earlier stand that pensions and salaries are not negotiable, insisting that what has brought the delay in payment is the discovery of overwhelming fraud, discrepancies and irregularities resulting from salary padding, over-bloated and double pensions among other sharp practices that include some pensioners receiving monies above their retirement salaries and some even outrageous monies that are not accounted for.
The Governor informed that out of 13,800 primary school teachers, only 9,000 are found to be real and that only primary and secondary school teachers who have been verified and confirmed to be employees of government will receive their salaries.