By Leonard Okachie
The Medical Director, Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Umuahia, Prof. Azubuike Onyebuchi, has advised the employees to plan for life after retirement while still in service.
He gave the advice on Wednesday, during the retirees’ send-forth and end-of-year celebration, organised by the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, FMC Umuahia Branch.
Onyebuchi, who emphasised the importance of early retirement planning for employees, said that his administration was committed to staff welfare.
“It’s all about planning and knowing that there will be life after retirement.
“So, planning starts while you’re still in service so that you can take care of yourself when you leave service,” he said.
He told the retirees that there was more to life than where they were working, adding, “You can do bigger things outside the hospital environment.”
The medical director commended the union for the first-of-its-kind initiative, saying that the management was developing a strategic development plan to celebrate the hospital’s retirees.
He said that it was always good to remember those who had laboured, worked all their life and retired at 35 years of service or 60 years of age.
The Chairperson of the union, Mrs Commy Okonkwo, said that the branch decided to celebrate its 40 members, who retired between 2022 and 2024, in appreciation of their sacrifices to duty.
She said that it was the first time the union was organising such a ceremony, adding that it was normally done at the sectional or immediate retirees’ units.
Okonkwo admonished the retirees to be calm, resonate Christ-like and “understand that God is with them.”
In a response, a retiree, Mr Festus Nwosu, expressed gratitude to the union’s executive for the laudable initiative.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that highlights of the occasion were the inauguration of the union’s Senior Citizens Forum and presentation of awards of excellence to the retirees.
(NAN)
