‘300 BCC Staff Dead Over Unpaid Entitlements’

MORE than 300 out of 1000 staff dismissed from the Benue Cement Company (BCC), Gboko, are alleged to have died, following non-payment of their housing fund and pension.

The information, reaching The Guardian from the former staff, disengaged between 1980 and 2003, alleged that over N2.7b is owed them while another N31m, paid by Leadway Assurance, as commercial interests in 2007 on their contributions, was allegedly converted for personal use by some persons.

In an SOS letter, addressed to President Jonathan, Speaker of the House of Representative, Aminu Tambawual and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) the staff lamented persistent refusal of the new management to pay their entitlements, saying the action has resulted in ailments, starvation and death of their loved ones.

They stressed that the contributions were initiated by the company with various deductions made from their salaries.

The former staff said they had met with the new management of the company to assist them recover their entitlements but to no avail, adding that all efforts to get the EFCC to investigate the nine-year issue has proved abortive.

They therefore called on concerned authorities to intervene and recover their entitlements from the National Housing Fund and the National Pension Trust Fund.

All efforts to get the reaction of the company management failed as at the time of filing this report.