By Dianabasi Effiong
Some former staff of the Federal Science and Technical College (FSTC), Yaba, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria have renewed their appeal to the Federal Government to pay backlog of disengagement and re-engagement salary arrears owed them before they retired from service.
The affected staff, who made the appeal on Saturday in Lagos, also said that the cost of living they experienced individually had become more pronounced, hence their renewed appeal.
Their Coordinator, Mr Enobong Onwomo, also said that he was recalled on June 23, 2008 and finally retired in 2018.
Onwomo said that he is owed no less than three-and-a-half-year backlog of his disengagement and re-engagement arrears.
Hear him: “Mine is close to 2 million naira in three-and-a-half years, 16 other persons on our list are also owed various sums in arrears.
“We wrote a letter of appeal on Oct. 13, 2021 to the Head of Service of the Federation, through the Director/Principal, FSTC, Yaba, Lagos State, for the payment of the arrears.
“In that letter, we forwarded some documents as requested in another letter: PNA/12301/S.1532/6, of Aug. 31, 2021, from the Head of Service, on the same matter.
“We also forwarded our letters of First Appointment, Disengagement from Service and Present appointment, as requested from the officers concerned.
“This was after writing several other letters, including the one dated July 15, 2021 to the Head of Service and Nov. 18, 2022 on the same matter.”
Also, one of the affected persons, Mr Timothy Olubor, said that those concerned were Catering officers, Foremen/Craftsmen, Laboratory Assistants/Attendants, Watchmen and Cooks in the FSTC, Yaba.
He said he was also owed three years and six months’ salary arrears after re-engagement from 2018 to 2020 and begged for urgent government intervention, saying several promises made them in the past were not fulfilled.
According to Olubor, “some affected colleagues have died out of hardship and frustration while hoping for payment.
“We make this appeal because we realised that it has taken long for the payment to come. The combine total of the arrears due to those affected amounts to several million Naira.
“Times are hard on our well-being. In fact, we are suffering. But we remain very loyal and will be eternally grateful if our humble appeal is granted us so that we can smile again,” Olubor said.
