Disengaged PHCN Staff To Get Severance Benefits Before End Of October – Minister

The Federal Government would complete the payment of severance allowance of PHCN staff before the end of October, Minister of Power, Chinedu Nebo said on Sunday. He stated this at the thanksgiving service of Nsukka Anglican Diocese marking the end of its 2013 Synod in Nsukka. Mr. Nebo said that government was working round the clock to ensure that all authenticated PHCN staff received their severance allowance so as to end any form of protest from those involved. “Government is working hard to ensure that all staff of PHCN are settled the before the end of October. For now what government has given the companies that acquired PHCN are licenses and share certificates. “The physical hander over of PHCN will take place in some weeks to come,” he said. The minister said that the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan had invested much and was committed to ensure that Nigerians enjoyed steady power supply. “By God’s special grace by the next six months there will be double in the country’s generation capacity and by the end of 2014 the amount of megawatts generated will be fully transmitted. “I must tell Nigerians that there are better days ahead as the country will witness great improvement in power the sector,” he said. On slow pace of work at Nru NIPP project Nsukka, the minister urged the people of Nsukka to write to enable him know the level that the work had gone so that he could communicate with those in charge of the project. “I am not a spirit to know what is happening everywhere, but soon as I get the report I will act appropriately,” he said. In a remark during the thanksgiving, Nicholas Okoh, the Anglican Primate of Nigeria, who was represented by David Onuoha, the Secretary of Anglican Bishops, urged Nigerians to always support those in authority so as to move the country to the next level. “We have to partner with our leaders in prayer to enable them to succeed,” he said. Mr. Okoh commended Aloysius Agbo, the Bishop of Nsukka Diocese, for his spiritual commitment that had resulted in rapid growth of the diocese. “I am satisfied with the rapid grown of Nsukka diocese because of able spiritual leadership of Agbo,’’ he said. Mr. Agbo said that the theme of the synod was “Partnership with God”. He said that the theme was chosen because nobody would succeed in life without partnering with God. “For anyone to succeed, he or she must partner with God through prayer as well as doing what the word of God commands as contained in the Bible,” he said. The bishop advised politicians in Nsukka to unite, adding that it would be impossible for the zone to produce a governor for Enugu State in 2015 without speaking with one voice. “The present situation whereby every politician in Nsukka senatorial zone wants to contest for governorship because Enugu state PDP had zoned it governorship candidate in 2015 to Nsukka was a dangerous trend. “Majority of politicians in Nsukka want to be governor of Enugu State in 2015, all of them are claiming to be political messiah of our time,” he said. (NAN)