By Chidi Nkwopara, Anayo Okoli, Okonkwo Nwabueze, Francis Igata

THE motto of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners, NUP, is “Rest is sweet after labour”. This is however, far from reality. The refrain from Nigerian pensioners is that they are constantly treated like outcasts instead of the senior citizens they rightly are. Stories abound about how some pensioners slump at the venue of verification exercises organized periodically by the state government. It was equally gathered that many pensioners have died without getting either their gratuities or pensions or both.

In Imo state, a retired teacher from Ngor Okpala local council area of the state, who simply identified her self as Lady Stella, put the plight of her family aptly: “You may not fully appreciate what my family is passing through now. We do not have money to feed and take care of our medical bills. Our children that graduated years ago are still scouting for jobs. My husband retired since 2000. He has not been paid his gratuity and his pension had run into several months. We are only relying on whatever we can lay our hands on, to sustain ourselves. This is not we expected at old age”.

According to the angry lady, “some of our retired teachers who disengaged from service in 2013, have only received four months pension, even some of those that retired 2012 have received pensions four months and below. Nothing has reached these affected retirees thereafter”.

The situation got so bad and most unbearable for pensioners in Mbaise that they recently gathered in their respective local council headquarters, crying to God to intervene and rescue them from avoidable penury and death midwifed by non-payment of their pension and gratuity, by the Imo State Government.

Untold hardship

At Itu, Ezinihitte Local Government Headquarters, the pensioners cried bitterly over the reported death of many of their colleagues. Those who led the prayers included Monsignor Paul Amakiri, Madam Grace Nwoko, Elder E. A. Nwachukwu, Mrs. Victoria Umunnakwe and the Ezinihitte local council Chairman, Dr. Christopher Nwachukwu. As at the time of going to press, there was no indication that their situation had been made better.

If retirees from other arms of government establishments talk of having received some pension, it is not so with the Imo Broadcasting Corporation, IBC, pensioners. For about ten years now, no IBC retiree has been paid any gratuity. According to a communique signed by the Chairman and Secretary of the IBC Pensioners Association, comrades Chidi Madu and Richard Nwoko, “our total arrears of pension is 36 months”, adding that “this has brought untold hardship and miserable death on many  of  our members”.

It was their considered opinion that the dwindling resources of the state government should not be used as an excuse to starve retirees, while other government activities and projects are duly funded. “The issue of harmonization of pension for pensioners who retired between 2000 and 2010, in line with the harmonization policy of six percent, 15 percent and the last minimum wage, which attracted 33 and a half percent increase, involving 138 retirees has been ignored.

This has kept the monthly pension of most pensioners below N15,000 a month. Sadly, many of those affected retirees have died without receiving their due pension, arrears and harmonization,” the IBC pensioner fumed. While saying that they have exhausted all avenues to get the state government to address their worsening plight, the famished senior citizens therefore resolved to stage a peaceful protest within Owerri Capital Territory  on Wednesday, June 22, 2016, to press home their legitimate demand for the payment of their long overdue gratuities and pension arrears, if no payment is made, either in part or whole of the pension arrears.

Enugu Pensioners to Govt: Merge Parastatals with Civil Service

In Enugu, the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners,Enugu State Council has appealed to the Enugu State Government to quickly merge retirees from the Parastatals with their counterparts at the core Civil Service to enable them get pensions regularly.

The Union said the merger has become imperative following the sufferings pensioners from parastatals go through occasioned by the obsolete system of payment which had hamstrung the easy   payment of pensions. It further applauded the administration of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi who has been regular in payment of pensions to civil service retirees in the state even as arrears of pensions are being paid through the bail-out funds.

Chairman of the Council,Damian Ozoude told South-East Voice in his office that,”Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has been paying pensions to civil service retirees regularly. But unfortunately, it is not the situation with our counterparts in other parastatals. Gratuity to retirees from civil service was paid last in 2009. Others who retired from 2010 till now has not been paid gratuity.

“As you know,these gratuities for civil service retirees were owed by the previous administration. It is worse in the parastatals like Water Corporation,Enugu State Broadcasting Service,ESBS and Primary Schools which are paid by the Local Governments. Those are worse hit. Water Corporation pensioners were paid last in 2004.

“ESBS pensioners are owed above 100 months pensions. But luckily,the present Managing Director is showing sympathy for their plight and had paid them for some months now from January to March. We appreciate his efforts. He saved some lives. As you know,many of the retirees depend on those pensions for survival. The amount though very small, comes handy in shouldering domestic bills.

Salaries of public workers

“The Primary School teachers have not been paid their gratuity as at 2002. It has been difficult for them coping with life. Some of them who are still strong,embark on subsistent farming to feed themselves as well as family. There are others whose relatives help them to survive. Some who are lucky,survive through the assistance of their children who are doing well. It has not been easy.

“Coming to the issue of Circular for an increment in pensions after every five years in line with the increment for working staff, it has not been implemented. It is a constitutional mandate. The constitution mandates every government to do so. So, it is beyond circular. The constitution says, whenever salaries of public workers are increased every five years,there should be a corresponding increase in the pensions of retirees.

“This is meant to reflect the current economic situation. That is what the law is meant to address. Unfortunately, it has not been obeyed by most states including Enugu State for decades.   The Federal Government implements. There was increases in pension to six percent,fifteen and thirty-three percent. None has been implemented in Enugu State by previous adminstrations till today.