Imo Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) Pensioners Association has called on the Imo State Government to take over the payment of their pensions and gratuities.

In an eight-point communiqué which they issued after a general meeting in Owerri recently, the senior citizens explained that, “whatever is given to the IBC as monthly subvention is not enough and can no longer sustain the payment of salaries of IBC staff as well as pensions and gratuities.

They maintained that in the interim, the Governor should kindly approve the release of accumulated funds of IBC internally generated monthly revenue deducted monthly from the 27 local governments in Imo State to help offset the accumulated areas of pensions and gratuities.

They want the findings and recommendations of the Technical Committee set up by the State Government in October 2012 on the lingering problems of IBC pensions and gratuities to be released and implemented.

The senior citizens who said they were owed 35 months pension arrears/gratuities, said they were aware that the subvention/fund for services given to IBC monthly is for both serving and retired staff and so demanded henceforth that staff salaries and pensions be paid monthly and at the same time.

To achieve this they said: we call on the management to take up the challenge of getting the state government to increase the monthly subvention to take care of increased salary/wage bill arising from promotions and implementation of minimum wage as was done for other parastatals of government.

Meanwhile Imo Newspapers Retirees under the aegis of the National Union of Printing, Publishing and Paper Products Workers (NUPPPROW) have called on Governor Rochas Okorocha to pay their terminal benefits.

The retirees made the appeal in Owerri when their executive members, led by Mr. Adolphus Ike visited the Secretariat of the Imo State Correspondent Chapel of the Nigerian Union of journalists (NUJ).

Ike lamented that the retirees were yet to receive their terminal benefits since they retired, adding that this has led to the death of some of them.

“We haves lost many of our members to death because of hardship, frustration and hunger.  Some are bed-ridden.  “Imo Newspapers is not pensionable.  What happens is that if one retires, his end of service severance benefits are paid to him once and for all”.  Ike alleged that other administrations had respected the policy and paid some of the retirees but the present administration was yet to do same, inspite of appeals.

He said the group had no other option than to embark on a peaceful demonstration at the expiration of the seven days grace period, from the day the protest letter was submitted to the State Government.

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