FG pledges to boost welfare of retirees

The Federal Government on Thursday in Abuja pledged its commitment to ensure that retired civil servants enjoy stable lifestyle after exiting service.

Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare Office, Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF), made the pledge at the Pilot Phase of the Pre-retirement programme.

She said that as part of efforts to improving welfare of government employees, the OHCSF was developing a system that caters for the wellbeing of employees from entry into service to exiting and beyond.

Walson-Jack added that the system would guarantee welfare of employees at every stage of their career and ensure all-round development of the workforce and national economic development.

“The training is to put you on a good stead after you exit service.

“Take the knowledge you have acquired seriously to enable you achieve greater feats.

“It is meant to adequately prepare you for life after service.

“The pre-retirement training programme is tailored around the training of prospective retirees on various Agricultural businesses, in order to provide another stream of income for employees at the end of their career.

“It is expected that the successful implementation of programme in the mainstream Federal Civil Service would thereafter be cascaded into all parts of the federal public service,’’ she said.

Walson-Jack said that the Head of Service, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita had approved the welfare policy that would ensure the wellbeing of all employees was of primary concern to government.

Mrs Bosede Olaniyi, Special Assistant to the permanent secretary, who facilitated the training, said the training was to help intending retirees settle down well after retirement.

She added that they were trained in areas of financial literacy, business opportunities, health and wellness of participants.

Mr Henry Nsonwu, a participant from the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing described the training as an eye opener for retirees who didn’t have an idea of what to do after service.

“Now we know variety of businesses that we can venture into, it has exposed us to a lot of things we were not previously aware of.

“The knowledge acquired will smoothly transmit us to our next phase of life.

“Before this training, most of us fear the unknown and shy away from preparing for life after service, but through this programme, we have gained confidence.

“We can now go into the world and use our brains and hands to make money rather than depending on pension alone,’’ Nsonwu said.

He recommended that the training be done five years before the retirement year to enable the intend retirees adequately equip themselves.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the one week long training was attended by a total of 108 intending retirees from different MDAs.