By Michael Eboh
Former workers of Savannah Sugar Company Limited, SSCL, would soon be paid the balance of their terminal benefits, 17 years after their disengagement from the service of the company, as the Federal Government, yesterday, said it has concluded the verification exercise of the former workers.

The workers were disengaged in 2002 when the company was privatized by the Federal Government.

In a statement In Abuja, Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate, PTAD, stated that at the verification exercise, which took place between February 4 and February 13, 2019, in Jimeta – Yola, Adamawa State, a total of 1,621 ex-workers and Next of Kins, NoK, who presented themselves for the exercise, were successfully verified and their biometrics captured.

According to PTAD, a total of 1,290 ex-workers and 331 NoKs turned out for the nine-day exercise.

Executive Secretary of PTAD, Sharon Ikeazor, disclosed that the verification was for the payment of the balance of the one-off terminal benefits paid to them by the Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE, in 2002 at the time of privatization.

She explained that former workers in the diaspora who did not take part in the exercise had been assured that they could be verified at PTAD headquarters, Abuja or PTAD North East Regional office in Yola, Adamawa State.

She said, “The verification of SSCL brings the total number of defunct/privatised agencies verified by PTAD to eight, including Delta Steel Company, DSC, NITEL/Mtel, NICON Insurance Plc, New Nigeria Newspapers and Nigeria Reinsurance.

“The Directorate has assured that preparations for the verification of all other treasury funded parastatals, including defunct/privatised agencies, has been completed and will commence shortly across the country.”

Ikeazor further stated that the verification was in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s promise to resolve and ensure the accurate computation and payment of the balance of the one-off terminal benefits for the workers who were disengaged in 2002 when the company was privatised.

https://newlive.vanguardngr.com/2019/02/end-these-deaths-sufferings-by-ex-nnsl-workers-mwun-urges-ptad/