By Okey Ndiribe

The Federal Government is to settle arrears of pension to Britons who served in the federal civil service under is the colonial administration.

Head of Service of the Federation,  Alhaji Bukar Goni Aji who made this known yesterday in Abuja, said some of the expatriates were still alive and in old people’s home in Britain explaining that one of them was 106 years while the other was 81.

Aji said the government would spend 146, 000 British Pounds (about N36.5 million) for the exercise, even as he dispelled rumour making the rounds that the government planned to retrench its workforce.

He spoke during a town hall meeting he held with workers and the leadership of the local Joint Union Negotiating Council, JUNC,  in his office.

According to him, “there is nothing like downsizing. It is not possible. The issue of downsizing doesn’t even arise. We are not ready to sack just to increase pay.

“No one here will be happy for others to be sacked so that he can earn a fatter salary. Retrenching one person means crippling other dependents.

“We have to work assiduously to diversify the economy and create jobs. The civil service must be made attractive than the private sector.

“The Federal Government is interested in job creation and not retrenchment; that is why the You Win programme was introduced and this has already created 100,000 jobs for our youths.

The government  has also given order to the Federal Civil Service Commission to recruit at least 3,000 fresh graduates between now and 2015. All these are aimed at getting the youths out of the streets.’’

Aji, explained that 149 members of a syndicate which specialised in duping unemployed youths on the  pretext of providing them non-existent jobs.