By Biola Lawal
As a step forward, the Federal Government should urgently consider the payment of a SPECIAL GRATUITY (as PALLIATIVE) to all retirees since the inception of the scheme. If every director is given one year of his annual salary as SPECIAL PALLIATIVE GRATUITY, this will go a long way to ease their current financial and economic burden.
Safe for officers who retired with Permanent Secretary rank from the federal civil service of Nigeria, most others, especially Directors, generally retire into agony, a life of despondency and wants.
As one retired Director of a federal agency put it, “truth is bitter and is often unwelcome, but it must be told, federal retirees are currently undergoing unprecedented and perhaps, indescribable hardship, requiring urgent intervention by the Federal Government to sustain the honour and respectability of a crop of Nigerians, who mostly have used the whole of their productive life-span to serve the nation.”
These are the then respectable young boys and girls of yesterday, who generally joined the federal service with shinning black hairs, firm and energetic bodies, ready to render a lifetime service for the growth and development of their beloved nation.
They enthusiastically plunged their life into a system, whose operators – the top echelon of government – have mastered the art of use-and-dump.
The system, kept the employees legally handicapped – it warned, right from day one; you are not allowed to do any other business ooh, no trading, no selling, no this, no that, if you are “apprehended” violating the initiative-killing – CIVIL SERVICE RULES, you can be dismissed or inflicted with other heavy sanctions.
So, the young man or woman began, cowed down from day one. They mostly and truly concentrate on the job, deploying their intelligence, knowledge and capabilities with youthful vigour to power the civil service system and keep the engine and power house of the nation’s developmental aspirations running.
I personally recall, many in our generation, were faithful to the system, looking forward to each promotion with eagerness, as it often potend a lift to a – better life and a probably, more secure future. But, as the years rolled by, the fear of the unknown start to set in.
The young boy, girl of yesterday is now married, children are coming. Then the dreams! The desire to give the children the best education. The need for decent, albeit, moderate home. The bitter truth began to set in. You have to struggle and fend for yourself to build a house, educate your children.
As the Nigerian civil servant advance in official nomenclature, societal responsibilities naturally increase. Oh, our son is now in the Directorate cadre of the civil service of the federal Republic of Nigeria. Even the Oba, the Igwe and the Sarki would know him now.
The pressure of life became heavier – from in-laws, friends, school mates, etc Unfortunately, the system has little or no survival plan for him. Then, he slowly began to realise that the years were running out. His/her hair is beginning to grey. He suddenly realised he has put in over 25 years into the service. Well, “I still have about eight to ten years,” he will consoled himself.
Still, no realistic housing plan for him. No realistic plan for mobility for him. His children; they are mostly now heading to the University. No problem, eight years, I will make it, he will console himself. But, sadly enough, he saw his Oga -Director, who retired few years ago. He almost couldn’t recognise him. The retired Director, now on monthly contributory pension pay, has dehydrated. It scared him! “So, is this what will become of me.”
Of course, EFCC or no EFCC, ICPC + DSS, and a million of their threats, cannot console him. The bleak, frustrating future waiting for him after his meritorious service to his motherland, were too grim to care about EFCC etc. As his years in service further withers, his fear of the unsecured and unknown future, became more scary.
Of course, he began to take another, deeper look at the operations of his Ministry, Agency, Directorate.
Then, the contracts papers, etc came round. N10 Million Naira. This one will not pass just like that anymore. After several days, Oga Contractor must pass by. Oga mi, I just came round and I say I should greet you sir. Okay, you are the Moonlight Enterprises! Yes, Oga Director. Wonderful! No problem. I have been busy, I will treat the papers.
Some realistic – Experienced Contractor, Suppliers, etc, knew the truth. Oga Director, I know things are not easy. And, I know when you retire, you need something to fall on. So, I assure you, always promptly treat Moonlight Enterprises papers, I will assist.
And, after the job, an appreciation of about N500k is dropped for Director. Waaoooh. GOD bless Moonlight. Moonlight is far more caring and more realistic in assisting than the Federal Republic! So, what the hell. The retiring Director began to carefully prepare and plan for his life after the fake glamour of Nigeria’s civil servant’s office.
He began to face the bitter truth of an impending humiliating life after age 60 or 35 years in service when he will be abandoned suddenly and unmercifully, to take care of his health, which will certainly start dwindling under the contributory pension pay. All alone, dumped and abandoned to the disgraceful and insulting pension under the so-called contributory pension scheme.
As the years of detachment drew closer, he perfected several means to corner some more “government?” money to cushion himself and prepare more realistically, against the humiliating impact of the degrading pension pay of contributory pension scheme.
And, so, the circle continues from generation to generation. From soft stealing to emboldened thieving – majorly due to the Federal Civil service system’s unrealistic and uncaring approach to the life of persons who served faithfully and meritoriously to lubricate the growth and development of our beloved country.
So, with the proclaimed Revolutionary approach of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope administration and governance, one sincerely hope the Federal Government will QUICKLY first and foremost, find a way to URGENTLY cushion the effect of the current economic situation of the country on the pensioners on contributory pension pay.
To assist President Tinubu, some of these Federal retirees, who contributed to this feature, have suggested various means by which the President can effectively, directly and immediately touch the lives of.these respectable citizens who are suffering in silence.
A retired Director from one of the federal Agencies suggested:
“As a step forward, I think the FG should consider the payment of a PALLIATIVE GRATUITY to all retirees since the inception of the scheme. If every director is given one year of his annual salary as SPECIAL PALLIATIVE GRATUITY, ir will go a long way to ease his financial burden.
Free Medical treatment? Yes. This will ease the financial pressure on the directors. A token can be given monthly for the purchase of drugs. Most retirees spend a lot of money on drugs monthly.
Another retired Senior Federal Official Recommend:
- There should be life pay for all directors who have retired meritoriously since 1999, to enable them to take care of their families and themselves.
The FG should expand and fully fund the proposed annual gratuity frameworks to enable a director or any cadre of retiring civil servants to receive up to 100% of their last gross annual salary.
They can be placed on half their salaries for life, but there must be periodic pension reviews:
Government can regularly adjust monthly payouts to match inflation and economic realities.
The government should also provide post-retirement health insurance maintenance.
Retired Directors should enjoy free medical health care till death. At least, subsidize their Medical Care: Expand the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) / National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) packages to cover chronic and age-related illnesses common among senior public-service retirees without high out-of-pocket costs.
There is the need to engage retiree associations before rolling out health or pension policy affecting senior citizens.
Engaging associations would help the government to know the most favorable policy that would positively impact the lives of retired directors.
Another Director, who retired from one of the most prominent federal ministries recommend that:
Retired Directors and others, should be placed on at least, half of their full salary for life.
May GOD guide the President to act fast, and, rather than rely on intimidating EFCC etc, take measures that would give hope and assurance of a reasonably happy life to federal civil service staffers, as a practical step to curb, and perhaps stop stealing by civil servants..
After the initial cushionary measures to mitigate the hardships of current retirees, the President must – before leaving office, hopefully in 2031, put in place, measures that will ensure civil servants own houses, mobility and sustainable family support, long before their retirement.
May GOD bless our country!
About the Author
(Hon. Biola Lawal, an ECOMOG Veteran, is a former Acting Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). He had earlier in life, served as Honourable Commissioner for Information,Youth, Sports and Culture of Osun state, his home state.
A former two-term Press Secretary to the ECOMOG Force Commander in Liberia during the Liberian and Sierra Leone Civil wars, Lawal
is currently the Publisher of FLOWERBUDNEWS and Managing Director of Flowerbud Multimedia Consulting Limited based in Abuja.)
