* Observe State government sincerity for 2 weeks
By Jon Egie
Local government retirees under the aegis of Concerned Delta State Local Government Contributory Retirees have shelved their mother of all protests scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, December 8.
A statement issued by the retirees and cosigned by the Chairman and Secretary, Mr Mode Augustine and Sir Henry Tokpe respectively, said the earlier decision taken by the body to go on protest on Thursday 8th December, 2022 has been shelved for a period of four weeks to give Government time and observe the sincerity of Government in their present bid.
According to the statement, the decision to shelve the protest was taken after an emergency meeting held in Ughelli yesterday.
The meeting after reviewing the present commitment of His Excellency the Governor of Delta State, Senator Dr. Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa in ensuring the payment of the outstanding retirement benefits and the information that the Technical Committee set up by the Government for the purpose of finding means to offset the over #55 billion owed both Local Government and Primary School Retirees have gone to PENCOM, Abuja to harmonize their report noted that: ” The leadership is not unmindful of the sufferings of Retirees in the State and is therefore ready to at all times engage the Government on ways forward to resolve the Retirees problem in Delta State once and for all.
“The body is determine to provide an enabling environment for the speedy resolution of the payment of the outstanding retirement benefits and therefore resolved that “If from next two weeks, the forum did not get a favourable report from the Abuja bound Technical Committee, a new date shall be taken for the protest.”