The Bayelsa government has directed the Local Government Service Commission and pensions board to provide pre-retirement forms to all affected staff three months to their due date.

Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, Bayelsa deputy governor said the delay in the provision of such forms often caused the delay in the payment of benefits to retired workers.

Mr Ewhrudjakpo gave the directive at a meeting with council chairmen, auditor general for local government and officials of local government pensions board on Wednesday in Yenagoa.

He said that payment of gratuities, pensions to local government workers retiring from service in Bayelsa, should not be later than a month after their retirement.

According to him, the decision is not only part of ongoing reforms in the local government system, but, most importantly, targeted at alleviating the sufferings of retirees.

Mr Ewhrudjakpo decried the current procedure for processing retirees’ pension and gratuity documents as too slow, emphasizing that three month pre-retirement period was long enough for any retiring worker to complete such statutory documentations.

He pointed out that government was putting the necessary modalities in place to ensure that retired staff got their full gratuity payment not later than 30 days after their exit from service.

The deputy governor noted that retirees deserved respect and rest, and therefore, should not be subjected to any form of suffering before receiving their statutory benefits.

According to him: “As far as I am concerned, the present system or process for the payment of gratuities and pensions is too cumbersome, complicated, time consuming and defective for my liking.

“I don’t think I can continue to preside over such an ineffective, vigorous, demeaning and punitive system.

“I don’t see any reason why it should take two years for the processes to be completed for retired local government pensioners to be paid pensions and gratuities.

“ That is why some people die before their pensions are ready.

“We are submitting that in about a month, every pensioner should be through with the post-retirement processes and documentations, and he or she is paid his or her money, immediately after retirement.

“The retirees are our staff, and so why are we making them go to the Accountant General’s office, and other offices to collect one form or the other.

”After all, most of the information we need about them should be in the office, if we are really serious.

“These are people who have put in several years to serve the government, and they deserve respect and rest.

“So, they should not be made to unnecessarily visit offices for documentation purposes,” he said.

 (NAN)