By Amadou Manjang
The Pensioners Committee on behalf of the Pensioners met the management of Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation on Tuesday.
The meeting was to highlight achievements of the Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation over the years.
Speaking on behalf of the Pensioners Committee, Alfusonse D. Mendy, the spokesperson of SSHFC Pensioners Committee said they have provided a lot of support to bed ridden pensioners, Jabang flood victims and the army.
Meanwhile, he highlighted that the Pensioners Committee needs the SSHFC management to provide ‘soft loans’ to pensioners because most pensioners find it difficult to get loans to settle minute issues.
He said soft loans to pensioners can help in addressing some of their minute problems such as fixing their roofs or toilets.
He further added that the management of SSHFC also needs to motivate its staff so that they can be more productive.
Sheikh Amadou Tijan Jobe, the secretary of SSHFC Pensioners Committee said SSHFC management needs to provide more allowance to pensioners.
He said what the pensioners are currently receiving is very small. He said pensioners are receiving less than one dollar per day on average.
He said that the Pensioners Committee needs an office space so that they can effectively do their work by having meetings and discussion.
He further added that pensioners are also finding it difficult to access buses and the SSHFC needs to help them in easing their access.
The Managing Director of Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation, Saloum Malang said they will look into the reasonability of the concerns of the committee.
He added that if the concerns are reasonable, SSHFC management will provide soft loans among others for the pensioners.
“I don’t give promises I can’t fulfill so we will look into it and see,” he said.
He further added that the committee surely needs an office space, but they are currently constrained.
“We will see the feasibility of that,” he said.
