The issue of the next of Kin of Primary School teachers gets complicated with every incoming governments.
We have issues of unpaid benefits starting from 1995 till date. Other governments were sincere in handling the matter until it got to the last 8 years where the government selectively paid only the living retirees and ignoring those that died in active service.
It may interest you to know that our original documents which could be used to claim this entitlements were collected from us since 2011, and a clearance slip issued to us with assurance that we will soon be paid.
Now having waited for all these while, the government has refused to pay, but to our shock, about 2 months ago we read through government's publications (programme for Dakkada event, 28th and 55th anniversaries of AKS and Nigeria respectively) as being listed among the 100 days achievements of this present government in office; that payment of 10 years arrears pensions and gratuities to primary school teachers has been made.
This also was aired on government/privates radio stations. This has created a very big dispute in our families as other members of our families thinks that they have been shortchanged. We confronted the government through a peaceful protest at the Sub treasury, SUBEB and the AKS House of Assembly on the 3rd of Nov., 2015. At SUBEB the Perm. Sec. Pst. Praise Okon, while addressing us said that the acclaimed payment was a mistake by the government as he has not received any money for such payment. But we wonder why the should lie and claimed it was a mistake.
On petitioning the House Committee on Judiciary, justice, human rights and public petitions, we were invited for a meeting, but the chairman of the committee Hon.Ottobong Ndem who called for the meeting did not turn up for the meeting rather he cancelled the meeting on the grounds that the other parties who were invited did not honour the invitation. So having done all things to get government's attention to our plight to no avail, we want to plead with you to do what you can to help us get our entitlements while we are alive as we have lost 3 of the next of Kin already.
Attached here are the copies of the 55th Independent day anniversary of Nigeria and the photos of our protest. Thank you for being the voice to the fatherless and motherless.
We doubt government's sincererity.On the 6th of November 2015,we staged a peaceful protest at government t house and the Commissioner for local government and chieftancy affairs while addressing adviced us to write the governor and copy him and the Commissioner for finance.we wrote as ad iced same day and in all our subsequent interactions with him, Head of service, the permanent se retard at SUBEB , the feedback we always get up till last month is that the governor is sympathetic with our case a d is doing everything possible to make sure that we receive our entitlements only for the same governor to go on air telling everyone that he has paid us and that he is not owing, The Commissioner for local go er meet and chieftancy affairs Hon. Victor Atai toldus on Tuesday,12th July that our money is with SUBEB and when we confronted the permanent ent Secretary at SUBEB he said he has not received such money.
From the ongoing, it is very obvious that government is out to swindle the next of kin of late primary school teachers and rob us of our entitlements. The major players in the issue from the governor to the Commissioners of local government and chieftancy affairs, and that of finance had been major players in the immediate past goverment where large a amount of money running into tens of billions of naira meant for settlement of dead teacher's entitlements was converted into personal use.
Recently, we are privy to classified information that in 2014, the last time SUBEB under Mr Inemesit Akabom as permanent Secretary paid any money at all to deceased teachers families, that out of 185 who were cleared to be paid with a sky SOS bank cheque, only 42 names were paid.what happened to the other 143?What about their money that had already been paid into sky bank?
Why did government through SUBEB collect all the original documents of our parent including letters of administration since 2011.
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