From left: Dr Joseph Okunade; NUP National Vice President (Southwest) Elder Ayo kumapaiye; National Treasurer, Chief Jokanla Joseph; National Trustee member, Alhaji Nojeem Ibrahim Adebayo; Southwest Public Relations Officer, Olusegun Abatan, and Southwest Secretary Olukayode Bada, during NUP Southwest meeting in Surulere, Lagos.
By Ishola Balogun
Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Southwest Zone has called on the governors from the region to implement the recently approved consequential adjustment to pensioners.
The union noted that the Federal Government approved it under the Defined Benefit Pension Scheme arising from the implementation of the New National Minimum Wage Act 2019.
At the union’s meeting held in Surulere, Lagos, the NUP Southwest Public Relations Officer, Olusegun Abatan, lamented the irregularities in the payment of gratuities and pensions.
“We want state governments in the Southwest to please address the entitlement of pensioners. Our retirees are suffering; some go home with as little as N1,000 per month.
“How will they survive? These are men and women who have contributed their quota to the development of their various states.
“They are being owed several months of unpaid pensions and gratuity and this cut across all states in the Southwest.
“This is very embarrassing and scandalous, though some states are still attending to them within the means of their financial strength,” he said.
He expressed bitterness over the health challenges of senior citizens, calling for free health scheme for pensioners.
“We want state governors in the Southwest to fashion out health programs for pensioners. Most especially, those above 60 years should benefit from the scheme.
“At age 60, you are drug compliant. We use all our money to buy drugs. We want the governors to assist us; they can still tap from our wealth of experience to help develop the state.”
The group hailed Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for being good to retirees and appealed to him to secure a befitting secretariat for Lagos pensioners.
“We appeal to his excellency to assist Lagos Branch of Nigeria Union of Pensioners to provide a secretariat.
“It is quite embarrassing that of the six states in the southwest, it is only Lagos State that does not have a befitting secretariat.
“Lagos State does not have a secretariat and that is why we are holding this meeting in a hotel,” he said.
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