By GODFREY BIVBERE, Jos
SHELL Pensioners Association, Warri Branch has demanded more support from the management of Shell Petroleum Development Corporation (SPDC), to make life more comfortable for them.

Shell Pensioners Branch Chairman, Olorogun Patrick Edafe, who spoke shortly after he received a Toyota coaster bus from the SPDC  management on behalf of the pensioners, said the company’s support would go a long way in assisting pensioners to move from one place to another in their various social engagements.

Edafe said the donation of the bus had shown that the Shell management was prepared to better the lives of pensioners but like oliver twist he reminded Shell that they were some other outstanding issues. They included harmonization of pension, annual inflationary adjustment, periodic preview and benchmarking of pension in the oil industry, a procedure on pensioners entitlements and the extension of medical scheme to children under 18 years.

Edafe said the Shell pensioners were filled with hopes when the first Nigeria Managing Director/Country Chairman for Africa, Engineer Basil Omiyi was appointed but regretted that he did not impact on the deplorable situation of pensioners.

He reminded the Shell management of the popular saying, “no condition is permanent” adding “the serving staff of today will of course become pensioners of tomorrow. please lay the carpet now”

Edafe appealed to the Shell Management to listen to the cries for a better living condition for pensioners. “We should be able to buy from the same market as the serving staff. We should be able to build new houses, buy new cars and change our household furniture like other pensioners on 100 per cent of the last pay on leaving service as pensioners like the NNPC.”