Hard pressed retirees also seek pension increase to survive inflation
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
“Pensioners are dying almost every week. Many of us use the little money we are paid to buy medicines and when the money is not forthcoming, we cannot get them [medicines] and that means we cannot live long.
“The problems of pensioners are almost the same in all the states of the federation and most of the state Governors have no regard for pensioners” – NUP South West Chairman Waheed Oloyede.
Retirees – geriatrics, weak, poor, and hard pressed in today’s Nigeria – are lamenting their losses by state governments’ refusal to pay pension so little it cannot even put food on their tables, let alone provide them inevitable medication to remain alive.
The Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP) feeling the heat of hardship has railed at the pile up of pension and gratuity not paid by Governors, saying most of them have no regard for pensioners.
An NUP South West zonal meeting in Lagos accused Governor of being insensitive to the plight of workers who retired after decades of meritorious public service.
NUP South West Chairman Waheed Oloyede asked them to pay pension regularly and to increase the amount because some pensioners receive as little as N5,000 a month, which does not go far in a country of high inflation.
“The Nigerian Constitution provides increase in pension every five years and whenever salaries of workers are increased, that of pensioners should also increase. We have discovered that only the federal government is fulfilling the promise, but the states are not,” Oloyede said.
“The consequential increase in pension that was approved by the federal government in 2019 was not implemented in many states.
“We are using the opportunity of this meeting to appeal to all the Governors that have not implemented the increase to do so without any further delay.
“Pensioners are dying almost every week. Many of us use the little money we are paid to buy medicines and when the money is not forthcoming, we cannot get them [medicines] and that means we cannot live long.
“This is why we are pleading with the government to listen to the plight of pensioners and ensure we are paid what we should be paid as at when due.
“The problems of pensioners are almost the same in all the states of the federation and most of the state Governors have no regard for pensioners.”
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Developing a heart to serve
NUP South West Public Relations Officer Olusegun Abatan lamented the lack of substantial progress on how state governments are addressing the plight of pensioners since the last report of the zone, per reporting by Vanguard.
He said out of the six states in the South West, only Ogun has set up a committee to address the adjustment of pension and also set up another committee on pensioners in the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).
“We want to use this opportunity to encourage and plead with other state Governors in the South West to take into consideration and act promptly on the consequential adjustment of pensions,” Abatan pleaded.
He called on South West Governors to declare a state of emergency on pension in their states and implored the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to support pensioners in their states as well.
NUP Lagos Vice Chairman Aderemi Titus charged political leaders to have a heart to serve the people, reminding them that ”everyone will reap the fruits of his deeds.”
“Love the masses, do not neglect them, and ensure you deliver the right leadership,” he counselled them.