Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku has urged
labour leaders in the state to help their members
plan effectively for life after retirement.
Ishaku made the call recently in Jalingo when
labour leaders led by Comrade Peter Gambo, paid
him a goodwill visit at the Government House,
Taraba.
The governor, who was Minister of State in the
federal cabinet at the time of the unbundling of
the National Electricity Power Authority, NEPA, a
few years ago said his concern for the welfare of
workers after retirement was a fall-out of his
experience during that exercise. He said many of
the defunct NEPA workers who lost their jobs in
the exercise had no visible plans for life after
retirement.
“I discovered to my utmost surprise that many of
these people had no basic idea of business, not
even about buying and selling of food items that
ordinary men and women do to survive.”
He said the agitation by labour for workers’
welfare should not stop in the demands for
increase in salaries, promotion and other welfare
packages but should include sustainable
business ideas that can help them face the
future squarely after retirement.
“In your capacity as labour leaders, you owe your
members a duty to help them plan properly in
order to make retirement painless for them,”, he
said.
He noted that the uncertainty of life after
retirement that is the lot of most civil servants
was the reason many workers do not want to
retire but would rather falsify their birthday
records to gain more years of service.
Ishaku drew a loud applause when he announced
to the labour leaders of his administration’s
grand plan for workers in the state to own
houses. He said henceforth, new entrants into
the state civil service would register for houses
from the onset and deductions would be made
from their monthly salaries towards a permanent
home to be built and given to them in five years,
such new workers would be in a position to
move into their own houses.
The governor also told the labour leaders that
payment of salaries, which had been the priority
in the state would remain so. “In this state,
payment of salaries is our number one priority. I
don’t authorise payment to any contractor until
I’m sure salaries have been paid.” He said he
had to do things that way because he was
aware that for every civil servant that collects
his salary, there are about five dependants
waiting for his assistance.
Governor Ishaku also used the occasion to talk
about what government has achieved in in other
critical areas. He said the water projects being
handled in Jalingo, would make the town self-
sufficient by the end of the year. He also said
many hospitals in the state have now been
reactivated and now functional. “At the time we
came on board, the Specialist Hospital in Jalingo
was the only functioning medical centre in the
state.
there was no other place to take critical medical
cases to, and people came there with medical
cases from even Gembu. But today that situation
has changed dramatically. The general hospitals
in Wukari, Bali and Gembu are being equipped to
further improve the situation.” He said medical
equipment and drugs were being purchased for
these hospitals.
Speaking on behalf of the Niger Labour Congress
( NLC) members, Gambo said the visit to the
Governor was in appreciation of the laudable job
he was doing in the state. He said: “We have
come to show appreciation for the good job
you’re doing. You have paid salaries promptly.
This is a wonderful effort and we must forget to
acknowledge it. we can see the roads you’re
doing in Jalingo and in the the zones. We can
also see the street lights, the drainages and we
appreciate them. We appreciate peace that has
been achieved through you effort,”, he said.
Bako said he was aware of the antics of mischief
makers whose eyes were closed to the
achievements of the governor and urged the
governor to ignore such arm chair critics. “You
should not be distracted