THE PROBLEM OF RETIREMENT IN THE ENUGU STATE CIVIL SERVICE

(A CASE STUDY OF ENUGU STATE UNIVERSAL BASIC EDUCATION BOARD)

CHAPTER ONE

1.0  INTRODUCTION

        Members of working class are individuals who are deeply engaged in paid employment mainly in work place and   organizations not their own. These places could be in the private or public sectors of the economy. These workers are remunerated on fixed wages or salaries instead of on commission or profit basis. They open the better part of their active life working for the growth, development and expansion of their organization. For their contributions to the progress for these organizations they receive virtually nothing in return other than salaries and/or wages. Salaries and wages are prices paid for their training, qualifications, experiences, risk taking, productivity and their other x-efficiency contributions to the overall development of their areas of employment as well as other sectors combined. However, they are not appropriately compensated for their contributions and based on this, they cannot be able to invest in other business ventures that will yield profits to them for the rainy days during the post retirement period and so, they face a lot of problems.

        Retirement is an inevitable fact of life every employee must look forward to experience, it further confirms that whatever that has a beginning has an end. But due to unpreparedness and lack of adequate compensation on the part of the employers, there abound problems in the post retirement period and these made many retiring employees see retirement as the ultimate end of their careers and lives. It is phenomenal in Nigeria that there are army of retired government workers and teachers who have not received their retirement benefits after five (5) years. These people are made to undergo excruciating processes of verification and revivification and in the end some of them die without even collecting any benefit.

1.1BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

        The federal Government in 1988 through Decree N0.31 established National Primary Education Board, and the State Government through Edict established the State Primary Education Board and they manage the affairs of tutorial and non-tutorial staff of primary school by paying them salaries. These establishments were undergoing some reforms in their administration until 2004.

        However, in 2004 there was another remarkable event and this was the establishment of Uniform Contributory Pension Scheme for both the public and private sectors throughout Nigeria. Contributory pension scheme is in vogue now where government contribute seven and half percent (71/2%) of the employee’s basic salary on a monthly basis while employees shall contribute the same. In this regard, the research work intends to x-ray the problems facing retirees, causes effects and possible solution to the problems of retirement in Enugu State Civil Service.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

        There were many cases of frustration, economic hardship, stress meted to the retirees which in most times resulted to untimely deaths while in pursuit of their retirement benefits. This constitutes a lot of problems in the management of their homes and the society at large. It therefore, becomes necessary to examine the problems which under assumptions might be responsible for these. Looking at the situation of this country one can broadly say that the management is inability to prepare the prospective retirees for retirement while in service have contributed immensely to both physical and emotional stress. Some people’s opinion hold that the problem should be tagged inaccurate data while some are of the view that it was as a result of non implementation of retirement benefits. Thus it is upon this premise that this study seeks to examine the problem of retirement in the Enugu State Civil Service

1.3   Objective Of The Study    

The broad objective of this study is to examine the problem of retirement in the Enugu State Civil Service. Specifically the study seeks to:

1. To find out the nature of retirement challenges among retirees in Enugu State.

2. Determine if non implementation of retirement benefit contributes to retiree stress

3. Investigate if inability of Enugu State civil service to handle pension management contribute to retiree problems.

4. Identify the strategies employed by the retirees to manage the post retirement challenge.

1.4   Significance Of The Study         

The need to understudy the nature of post-retirement stress cannot be over emphasized because of its implication on the significant demography of the aging population. Several population enumerations have consistently shown that the retirees occupy a significant proportion of the country’s population. This study on the nature/type of management strategies used by retirees and the counseling implication is timely now that a lot of concerns have been raised on the welfare of the retirees. The Federal Government has reviewed the failure of past policies on pensions with a view to experimenting new scheme. The current Pension Scheme enacted by Federal Legislature is expected to address the problems of non release of pensions, irregular payment of entitlements, corruption in pension administration that have further impoverished the socio-economic conditions of the retirees. Findings from this study will enrich the current data base on pension management. It will also serve as a useful document for pension administrators, government and retirees on how to handle pension issues in the country  

1.5   Hypothesis   

HO1: Non implementation of retirement benefit does not contributes to retiree stress

HO2: Inability of Enugu State civil service to handle pension management does not contribute to retiree problems.

1.6   Scope Of The Study 

The scope of this study borders on  the problem of retirement in the Enugu State Civil Service. The study revealed the nature of retirement challenges among retirees in Enugu State. It determine if non implementation of retirement benefit contributes to retiree stress. It investigated if inability of Enugu State civil service to handle pension management contribute to retiree problems. It Identified the strategies employed by the retirees to manage the post retirement challenge. The study is however delimited to Universal Basic Education board.

1.7   Definition Of Terms 

Retirement: Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life.

Retiree: The meaning of retiree is a person who has retired from a working or professional career.

Civil Service: The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership.