PENSIONERS in Kogi State, have asked the State Government to key into the Contributory Pension Scheme, CPS,  to ensure that future pensioners do not go through the stress today pensioners are passing through.

Speaking through the Chairman of the state chapter of Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP, Onu Abdullah, the pensioners contended this would reduce difficulties future pensioners would face as at present being faced pensioners in accessing payment of their gratuities and pensions after retirement from the state public service.

Abdullahi wondered why the state was yet to key into the scheme since its inception in 2004, lamenting that retirees had been facing a lot of difficulties accessing their benefits, saying as a result of complications in the old system of pension administration being operated in the state, many pensioners had difficulty accessing their gratuities and eventually died without getting a kobo from their entitlements.

According to him: “The previous administrations paid full and final gratuities to retiree up to 2001. From 2002 to date, anybody that tells you that he has collected between 20 per cent or 30 per cent of his or her gratuity is lying. Since the creation of Kogi in 1991, we have been operating the old pension scheme whereby you retire and you cannot take your gratuity.

Until 2010, it used to take between two years and three years after retirement for a pensioner to be placed on monthly pension allowance. Most of our members have died without accessing a kobo of their gratuity and the reason is that they are not captured by the new contributory pension scheme.

PenCom as it is today is not only the best but the utmost. If you have nine to 10 years to retire and you start contributing from now, by the time you are retiring, getting your gratuity will not be a problem, no barriers and no obstacles at all.”

The chairman contended that the distrust between the government and workers was the reason why the state had continued to handle the payment of pensions and gratuities to its retired workforce.

He said the inability of the state and its civil servants to join the scheme was because past administrations saw it as a waste, while the workers thought it was an avenue for extortion, arguing however, commended Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi who he said seemed  poised to key into the CPS.