The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, Enugu State chapter, has advised its members to seek alternative means of survival prior to retirement from service.
NULGE President in the State, Comrade Kenneth Ugwueze gave the advice during a meeting with Udi Local Government workers.
Ugwueze and his team have been on tour of the 17 council areas in the State to sensitise members on the need to prepare for life after retirement.
He said the union was concerned about the welfare of members owing to the biting economic situation in the country.
Ugwueze said part of the intervention of NULGE is the registration of Enugu State Local Government Workers Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society which would assist members to plan for life after retirement.
“The most important aspect of this programme is the entrepreneurship and pre-retirement training we are going to organise for those who are intending to retire from the local government service in our State and we have received the support of the Local Government Service Commission in support of the pension board and local government chairmen.
“We are determined to reduce the hardships being experienced by members of the union.
“This is to assist our members while in service and those who have retired to ameliorate whatever suffering they may be facing in the course of their work and after retirement in terms of financial support,” he stated.
He identified areas of intervention to include: training, payment of the school fees of workers’ children, paying hospital bills and medicare, expansion of workers’ businesses and farms, among others.
“We have a target that within one year of someone’s retirement, one will be exposed to this training to prepare the person psychologically and financially so that the person will be retiring happily.
“We have taken off with business support, support for school fees, support for hospital bills, building renovations, mini buses and keke that we will use to support our lives after work, maybe when you retire you can have a full time exercise.
“Our dear Governor in his visionary agenda has promised to reduce the poverty index in Enugu State to 0% and what we are doing as a union is in line with that vision,” Ugwueze added.
While commending the chairman of Udi Council Area, Hon Philip Okoh for prompt payment of workers’ salary and clearing of arrears, he appealed to local government chairmen in the State to help the union towards the full realisation of its vision.
In a remark, Okoh pledged that he would continue to support every initiative towards the welfare of workers.
Biting economy: Embrace entrepreneurship, pre-retirement training – NULGE tells members