The number of federal civil servants pencilled own for disengagement in the on-going civil service reform may rise to 35,000 from its initial figure of 33,000, Chairman of Public Service Reform Committee, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, has said.
Making a symbolic presentation of cheques to 26 retirees in the first phase of the exercise in Abuja yesterday, el-Rufai, who is also Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), disclosed that the payment, which is N2.6billion for 4,500 retirees, represented 10 per cent of the N26 billion earmarked by the Federal Government for the exercise.
He added that: “An estimated N26 Billion is for 33,000 retirees but there is possibility that it will rise to 35,000. The retirees are also entitled to terminal benefits too.”
El-Rufai who described the occasion as solemn said “The advantage of early retirement is that some of you will continue to enjoy your pension benefit for the rest of your lives but what we are just paying you here is your severance pay.”
Twenty six symbolic beneficiaries received their severance packages ranging from N500,000 to N4.5 million.
El-Rufai told the retirees that government was spending about N26 Billion as severance packages saying the amount excluded pension packages to be received at a later date.
According to him, “What we are doing is to build the private sector, the government can not employ everybody. Nigerians, the way we are very industrious, Nigerians like to create wealth. I believe what we are doing now is not creating unemployment, what we are doing is shifting employment from the public sector to the private sector. Because when you empower a person retiring and give him the opportunity to start a small business, this business will grow. One of the retirees here today told us he has already started a catering service supplying to the airlines, with his severance pay, he can expand.”
He noted that though the disengagement seem painful to the workers, but government will do everything within its reach to ameliorate pain of preparation is the immediate release of benefit.
“The only thing we can do ameliorate the pains of separation is to release your benefit outside the government. Of this small minority three out of 70 million; you’re being separated back to the private sector if you are joining the 77 million Nigerians that make their living in the private sector.”
The FCT minister though it seems difficult to bear the pain of uncertainty but advised them to face the situation positively noting that the phase mark the opening of a new chapter of life “having close the chapter of life as public civil servants”.
In his remarks, Director-General of the Bureau of Public Sector Reforms (BPSR), Dr. Goke Adegoroye, said Zenith Bank Plc has been appointed to pay the retirees their cheques. He pointed out that, the Bureau was starting with retirees of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. He added that the payment which started yesterday with 26 ex-civil servants will continue through the weekend and will also commence on Monday in Lagos while the same will be replicated in Akure, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Sokoto, Kano and Maiduguri. The exercise is expected to last for two weeks.
Also commenting, Deputy Managing Director, Zenith Bank Plc, Mr. Godwin Emefiele said expressed gratitude to the Federal Government for appointing the bank to pay terminal benefits to the retirees.
Disclosing that the International Conference Center (ICC), Abuja venue of the payment will serve as a temporary branch of the bank till the end of the exercise, he advised the beneficiaries to either collect their payment in draft or cheques for security reasons. He added that those that may wish to open an account with the bank and save their entitlements were free to do so.