President, Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Dr. Abel Afolayan, has called on the Federal Government to pay the death benefits due to families of deceased pensioners in the country.
The president who was represented by the union zonal chairman, Muhammadu Inuwa Ahmed, made the appeal at a press conference in Bauchi at the weekend.
Afolayan recalled a newspaper publication which carried the story that outgoing political office holders were to be paid N3.2 billion as severance allowances, saying accumulated pension arrears be settled first before payment of severance allowances.
“While we are not opposed to the payment if our extent laws allow such payment, we want to request that accumulated pension arrears should be settled first before payment of severance allowances are made to political office holders who spent only four to eight years in office with utmost comfort and every political patronage attached to their offices”.
He recalled that the Nigerian retirees were given five years pay-off as against the full 25 years pay-off given to the expatriate airways pensioners.
Afolayan, who noted that the so-called expatriates were retirees from the West African countries of Ghana, Togo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, among others, wondered whether it is a crime to be a Nigerian and be disengaged from defunct Airline owned by Nigeria.
He stressed that the balance of 20 years be paid to the pensioners.
He also recalled the plight of defunct Niger Delta Steel Company pensioners is similar to that of Nigeria Airways, saying the steel company was folded up by the government without paying the affected retirees their retirement benefits.
“They continue to languish in pain till today for non-payment of their retirement benefits after the company’s liquidation. The BPE and DSC management computed an actuarial valuation accruing to the entire ex-staff (pensioners/disengaged) to the sum of N11, 709, 797, 517 out of which 30% was paid in 2007 and later 15%”.
Afolayan while explaining that the remaining balance of 55% is yet to be paid, appealed to the federal government for the urgent payment of those pensioners’ entitlements without subjecting them to further agony.
Afolayan also berated the government for the stoppage since 2010 of 5% of its counterpart funding into Local Government Pension Fund which, he said, has subjected retirees at the third tier of government into agonizing situation.
“This stoppage has been adversely affecting regular payment of monthly pensions to the Local Government pensioners and primary school pensioners being paid from the fund”, union president said.
He pleaded with President Buhari to reactivate regular compliance with the counterpart funding by the 3 tiers of government which is 15% by Local Governments, 2.5% by state governments and 5% by the Federal government.