Please pay our unpaid benefits before we die — PHCN pensioners

Engr. Julius Oladotun Ayodeji is the Secretary, Concerned PHCN Pensioners (CPP), A retiree of former PHCN now, under PTAD (Pension Transitional Arrangement Department). In this interview with AYO FADIMU and SOLA OLAJIDE, he speaks on the difficulties the former NEPA retirees are encountering in accessing their benefits, and the problems bedeviling the power sector in the country. Excerpts:

Sir, can we know those places you worked when you are in NEPA/ PHCN?

I worked through my tenure in NEPA under Transmission, you know NEPA has three departments, we have the generation,  transmission, we have distribution. I worked under transmission throughout my eighteen years in NEPA and I retired as an Assistant Manager.

Which year?

In the year 2000.

 Were you paid your benefit that time or not, because news reaching us is that  some of you are protesting your dues, your remuneration, your pensions. What exactly is the problem?

The problems are numerous, but to enumerate them, one after the other—first, when we were disengaged, we were supposed to be paid one hundred and fifty two thousand because incidentally, Obasanjo increased the pensioner allowances at that time to one hundred and forty two, but based on the fact that we were just being retired, joining the pensioner at that time, the authority was  supposed to calculate one hundred and fifty two for us, but instead of that they maliciously calculated 100% for us, so 42% has been outstanding since year 2000 till date. We are presently in year 2021, so 42% is still being withheld by the authorities.

What caused the discrepancy, while management calculated 100%, you calculate 142%, why the discrepancy and why the 142%? Can you explain?

The management policy or I can say, that is malicious management judgement. I said malicious management judgement because it’s an act of wickedness, they know that we are pensioners, it is supposed to be increased by 142%. When you are retiring us, then you pay us, or you base our gratuity on 100% instead 142%, you understand. 42% was still outstanding from that period till date and those that retired after us, were fully paid 142%. It is only year 2000 retirees that were shortchanged. Those that retired after us, immediately after us were paid 142% as their gratuity, so 42% is still outstanding for year 2000 retirees, which hasn’t been paid up till date.

 What are the other things that are not yet paid, and what are the things you are agitating for?

Our harmonization, we are not paid, they harmonized us in the year 2003 (cuts in)…

For the benefit of our readers, what is Harmonization?

Harmonization is the differences in reward, salary, and wages. Every department, every industry, every parastatal has their own rules and regulation that guide their operations. Whatever happens  to active worker will equally reflects on passive worker, that is, whatever happens to those people that are currently working and the pensioner also will be the beneficiary, so when they were increasing allowances and reward system, that is salary or wages, let me say for the active workers, those that are presently at work not retired, this one suppose to go in tandem  with the pensioners’ but the management refused to do that for the period of 10 years. It was when NELCO took over the administration of pension. NELCO was established, NELCO is Nigeria Electricity Liability Company Limited that is NELCO. It was established solely to pay liabilities, for the purpose of paying liabilities or assets of NEPA, like they want to sell house, they want to sell NEPA properties, etc. Any liability that NEPA has been involved, they will pay, they took over the payment of our pension at that time because by that time they wanted to unbundle PHCN. Eventually PHCN was unbundled, that is, when they were sold off, NELCO took over the payment of our pension allowance but it remained our arrears—those benefits we are supposed to enjoy for the period of ten years that we have not enjoyed, from 2003 to 2013. The MD NELCO, took it up himself and said okay, he will harmonize us. He now harmonised us from that year 2003 span of ten years, from 2003 to 3013. Those arrears were thoroughly calculated and sent to salary and wages commission for approval. This is the calculation of the harmonization of the other arrears that we are fighting for (shows the document to our Correspondents). It was sent to DG salaries and wages which was finally approved and the payment was made to NELCO but they refused to pay us. The then MD of NELCO, Dr Samuel Abogu, invariably, and he has retired from NELCO but he told them what he knew. He said all the arrears we are clamouring for are real, and that everything is correct, he has calculated everything and forwarded to PTAD. He said PTAD is the problem, between PTAD and our National union leader NUPES Nigeria Union Of Pension Electricity Sector. He said the problem is with PTAD and that he has calculated everything for PTAD to pay us. He told us we should liaise with PTAD and that is why we are going to PTAD to pressurize them to pay us. We have reported PTAD authority to Mr President in one of our write-ups. We appealed to the president which I believe he has gotten. He is a listening President and among the Presidents that have ruled this country, no one has had the love of Pensioners more than President Muhammadu Buhari and we know, he will intervene in our matter as well.

Now, from year 2000 to this period of time a lot of people would have died?

Yes, many people that we are struggling for this particular arrears we are contributing money doing this in cash and in kind. So many people have gone because of lack of money. You know we worked under hazardous conditions. If you worked in NEPA, and retired without any damage to your body or your system, you have to glorify God and go and do thanksgiving. Many of these people that we were clamouring for our benefits, they were partially burnt, some were paralyzed. These high tension wires you see are 330KVA, 33000 volts. The emission, the radiation that comes from it is not just a joke, may God see everybody through. Now, you are now denying us when we had worked meritoriously for the country. How can you now deny us of our entitlement at old age? That is why we pleading with the Federal government, and particularly,  President Mohammadu Buhari to please come to our aid to intervene because we know he has been the loving father for the senior citizens of Nigeria. Since the inception of his administration, his government is different from all others, if you are talking about senior citizens, (President) Buhari has been extremely good.

Okay sir, let’s just say one, two things about power sector. You retired as Assistant Manager in transmission, why do we still have problem in electricity despite it been privatalised? When it was NEPA we called it a Nigerian problem; it changed to PHCN, we said Problem Has Changed Name; now Disco we are still dancing in darkness; why the problem?

If we want to be factual, it’s the government policy that’s number one, to me. Government policy entirely affects it all, I mean, the previous government policy not the present one. It was the previous government that sold off NEPA. When you have a generator, don’t you maintain your generator? Your personal generator, you maintain your personal generator. If you are using it continuously you have to call mechanic to maintain it periodically so that there will be  continuity of usage. When we have power stations that have been built for donkey years, the power stations that have been built for so many years, and you are not even thinking of even refurbishing them or  doing turn around maintenance, but you wait until it breaks down before you say you are running helter skelter for it, that is a problem. And sincerely, speaking the government that sold off really affected NEPA. As an insider, if there had been adequate maintenance and supervision, for the electricity industry, it wouldn’t have been like this.

Lastly, because of your time, something came to my mind—as a little child I remember we shouted ‘up NEPA’ when the light came on, now I have my own children now, they too are shouting ‘up NEPA,’ now with the way we are going, won’t my own grandchildren also be shouting ‘up NEPA,’ because this problem does not seem to have an end?

Let me tell you emphatically, any nation that jokes with its power industry is joking with its development. The Nation’s power industry holds the key to successful industralisation and turnaround of every part of the society. When you joke with your power industry then you are at the peril of losing out. All the nations I know, that I have heard of even though I’ve not been there, Canadian power station, power authority is still with Canada, BE still with British, America power still with America. The ones that colonized us still have their power stations because if you lose your power to private individual, you are losing power and you are losing your strength as a nation.