FG pays 1,669 ex-PHCN workers’ benefits next week

The Implementation Committee on Payment of Power Holding
Company of Nigeria (PHCN) terminal benefits of the Bureau of
Public Enterprises (BPE) is set to commence payments of
severance benefits to staff retirees and Next of Kins (NOKs),
who would be verified in nine centres across the country.
Speaking to newsmen on the heel of the threat to public
property by aggrieved union members and ex-workers of
PHCN, the Chief of Staff to the Minister of Power, Prof. Chidi
Onyia, said that Nigerians deserve to have adequate
information in order to have informed position of the issues
involved.
He said the committee put in place by the BPE and which also
have representations from the Ministry and Office of the
Accountant General has diligently handled all issues pertaining
to verification and has drawn up a check-list for all ben­
eficiaries to bring to the various designated centres, upon
which they are paid.
According to him, President Goodluck Jonathan has
demonstrated a clear understanding of the nation’s labour law
which informed his directives to the handlers of severance
package to be diligent in the validation processes, adding that
government does not want to pay ghost workers but the right
people.
He said so far, a whopping N372 billion has already been paid
out to disengaged PHCN workers, stressing that government
has always treated its workers with utmost dignity and
respect.
Furthermore, the ministerial aide debunked the assertion that
government was insensitive to the plight of the disengaged
PHCN workers, saying the Minister has directed that all issues
pertaining to it be resolved on time.
He said this position has nothing to do with the forthcoming
general election, just as he reiterated that the Minister of
Power was desirous of building harmonious labour relationship
for the entire power sector, assuring that the core or residual
staff in the sector would be paid as at when due.
It would be recalled that with the privatisation of the
Generation and Distribution sub-sectors, a total of 47,000
disengaged workers of the defunct PHCN are on the list of
persons to be paid by the BPE but Onyia said that records
show that 45,000 persons have been paid, with another 1,669
beneficiaries cleared, thus leaving less than 1,000 workers who
are yet to be verified. This category would be paid at nine
designated centres across the country beginning from January
26 – February 6, 2015.