By Kebba Secka
Concerned pensioners and active members of the Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation (SSHFC), on Saturday November 10th, held a meeting at TANGO, to strategize the way forward on matters pertaining to their welfare with the Corporation.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Ashyme Saine-kah, one of the members of the temporal organising committee of the pensioners, said the meeting was meant to map out a strategy of strategies, for the effective and efficient management of SSHFC. She highlighted that the unification of pensioners will give them stronger voice in the way their funds are managed.
Alh. Darbo Jawara of Bakau, Edrisa Sanyang and Musa Gakou of Faji Kunda, all registered frustration with SSHFC in terms of accessing their retirement benefits. They all dilated on the difficulties pensioners face, before accessing their retirement benefits; that there is need for a desk office to be opened at the SSHFC, to be responsible for this.
“We will continue to hold SSHFC accountable for our own funds. We have spent all our lives working for government without a home and now that we are retired, we still cannot access a house from the housing scheme,” he said.
Because of the low turnout at the meeting, Jose T.K Green-Harris, a veteran accountant and former Banjul Central MP, appealed to his comrades to re-organize the meeting so as to sensitize each and every member, for them to attend on the next adjourned date. He was seconded by other speakers who all said this will enable them to have a unified and firm voice.
