Hohoe (V/R), May 2, GNA - Togbega Gabusu VI, President of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs on Thursday called for the repositioning of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) scheme to reward retirees and pensioners for their unalloyed services to the nation. Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency to mark the 2008 May Day celebrations, he said the present policy of the Trust was anachronistic and had facilitated impoverishment and early death of pensioners than bringing them comfort and dignity. Togbega Gabusu, who said he was expressing the sentiments of the chiefs and people of the Volta Region, advocated the re-branding of the SSNIT scheme to ensure fairness and systematic and transparent pension packages that would regenerate some life in pensioners than the "ridicule of death". He congratulated workers for their collective efforts in nation building.

Togbega Gabusu, who is also the Paramount Chief of Gbi Traditional Area in the Hohoe District, accused SSNIT and its staff of "self-aggrandizement" at the expense of contributors' by drawing juicy packages to suit them. He recounted a plight of a pensioner, who after 35 years of dedicated service to nation building, received a paltry GH¢2,400 on attaining 60 years, describing this situation as appalling. On agitation for better conditions of service, Togbega Gabusu called for dialogue among partners, government, employers and workers. He urged government to be sensitive to the plights of workers and advised it to remove bureaucratic bottlenecks affecting resolution of industrial disharmonies. 2 May 08