Rivers State Government has approved an additional N1 billion to the existing N1 billion Pension Fund in the state, doubling the total to N2 billion.
Governor Siminalayi Fubara announced the approval during a State Executive Council meeting held on Thursday at the Executive Council Chambers, Government House, Port Harcourt.
The meeting was presided over by the Governor, with Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu and other council members in attendance.
Addressing journalists after the meeting, the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Warisenibo Joseph Johnson, stated that the State Executive Council commended the Governor for this bold decision.
In a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Nelson Chukwudi, Johnson noted that the Governor’s action was commendable, as the additional funds would benefit pensioners in the state, aligning with his welfare package for both civil servants and retired senior citizens.
Johnson explained, “Council also appreciated His Excellency for a N1 billion addition to the Pension Fund. It had always been N1 billion, but the Governor, in his usual mannerism, has increased that figure from N1 billion to N2 billion.
“This is to take care of our pensioners, and that is worth commending His Excellency as part of his welfare package for both the civil servants and the retired civil servants.”
In addition, the Rivers State Head of Civil Service, Dr. George Nwaeke, revealed that the Council approved the domestication of a federal law extending the retirement age for teachers by an additional five years in Rivers State.
Nwaeke clarified that this extension would only apply to professional teachers who are duly registered with the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN).
“There is this new law elongating the number of service years for teachers across the country. Before now, teachers retire at the attainment of 60 years of age or 35 years of service to Nigeria.
“But this new law now has elongated the service of teachers by five extra years, so that teachers will now retire at the attainment of 65 years or 40 years of service, whichever comes first.
“So, today, Council has approved this particular domestication of these new service years for teachers in Rivers State. And we are talking about teachers, not administration staff or other staff working in the schools,” he stated.
Nwaeke emphasized that “Every person that will benefit from this must be teachers that are professional and registered with Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria.
“They must be professional teachers, and they must be teachers in the classroom, not people that are working as admin staff. This is very heartwarming news, and the Council has approved it.”
He added that the policy’s implementation takes effect immediately, based on the national circular enabling the elongation of service years for teachers across the country.
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