The unbundled energy behemoth – Power
Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) – will be
transferred to new owners tomorrow, the
Federal Government said yesterday.
The government said it had paid 40,093
workers of the fading firm N292.51 billion as
severance package.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of
Power, Godknows Igali, told reporters at the
State House after a meeting with Vice President
Namadi Sambo that the cash comprises
N214.22 billion for severance and N80.290
billion for pension.
With the payment, all is set for the transfer of
the PHCN to the new owners tomorrow.
Igali said of the 47,913 PHCN workers who
were identified after validation, regularisation
and cross-checking, the payment of only 5,907
workers was being delayed due to lack of
biometric data records and duplications .
He said: “We have been asked by the Vice
President to update you on the outcome of the
briefing, which he has just received for the
preparations towards the handover of PHCN
assets to the new owners by 1st of November.
So far, during the process of validation,
revalidation and processing, the total number
of 40,093 workers, as at this morning, have
been completely validated and their
entitlements paid.
“An additional 605 workers were validated in
the course of yesterday and their papers have
just been sent in for payment of their
entitlements.
“The 40,093 people, the severance
components that have been paid out is
N214.22 billion while the pension components
(N80.290 billion) has been paid.”
“In total, 47,913 PHCN workers were identified
in the process of validation, regularisation, and
cross-checking of workers. As you know, this
process has to be done because PHCN is a
very large organisation and had workers in all
parts of this country.”
On the 5,907 workers whose payment is being
stalled by virus, duplication and no records, he
said: “The balance of the number, we have
some issues with some of them. It is an
electronic process and unfortunately some
workers in Enugu Disco, 1,478 workers, their
biometric capture got corrupted by virus and
the consultant has moved to site in Enugu to
recapture them.
“Additional 929 other workers from around the
country also had their biometric data corrupted.
This is a usual thing that happens when
dealing with large numbers and we are bringing
them to Abuja at the expense of the
government for their biometric data to be
recaptured so that they can be paid their
entitlements immediately. “
“An additional about 1,000 workers from the
number that is left has been cleared, but there
are some duplications of various nature; names
are duplicated, accounts are duplicated.
“For example, there are cases where people
have three names and while filling they put only
two names. There are also cases where
someone’s name is Mohammed and they write
Mahmud. So, these things have to be captured
properly because the amounts are big and we
don’t want the wrong people to be paid
somebody else’s money.
“For such a huge number, such delays have
occurred and that is why we are accounting
6,000 or so people that their cases are still
being dealt with out of the 47,000.”
“There are cases of 2,500 that are bad cases,
but they are being handled. These are cases of
people that don’t have any record, any
document to back up the claim that they are
PHCN workers. But people have identified them
that they have been in the system. These are
mostly casual workers and their cases are
being looked into,” he added
To ensure that every worker is paid his or her
entitlement, Igalli said, the technical committee
will continue to work day and night to validate
as many people as possible.
He said any delay of payment of the 40,093
workers had to do with processes in the banks
and that the government has directed them to
expedite action on the payments.
The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) said it
had despatched a team of consultants and its
staff for the biometric data capture of 1, 478
employees of the Enugu Distribution Company
who could not be audited because of virus
attack on the system were their names were
stored.
Head, BPE Public Communications, Mr. Chigbo
Anichebe, said the federal government set aside
the entire proceed of N384 billion from the BPE
transaction to settle labour liabilities.
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