Some former staff of the Federal Science and Technical College (FSTC), Yaba, have renewed their appeal to the Federal Government to pay the backlog of disengagement and re-engagement salary arrears owed them before they retired from service.
The affected staff, who appealed 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 told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that he was recalled on June 23, 2008, and finally retired in 2018.
Onwomo said that he is owed no less than the three-and-a-half-year backlog of his disengagement and re-engagement arrears.
He said, “Mine is close to N2m 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 by 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.
He begged for urgent government intervention, saying several promises made 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 combined total of the arrears due to those affected amount to several million Naira.
“Times are hard on our well-being. 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.
