By VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG

Samuel Adewumi Dada was a President of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, between  1984 and May 1989, and an ex-employee of Chevron Nigeria Limited, CNL, where he worked for almost 23 years before retirement in November 1999.  He was an administrator of “Help Desk” where people (employees) who were having problems with their computers were assisted to rectify such problems. In this interview with Pension and You, he speaks on the battle with CNL over unpaid wages, how to prepare and when to start preparing for retirement. Excerpt.

DID you prepare for retirement or you were retired suddenly?

Well, I prepared for it. Though it was supposed to be 55 years of age, before we retired, the Federal Government raised the retirement age to 60, but the management still made us to retire at 55 years, claiming that  company’s policy was 55.  So, it was not sudden, except the disagreement about the retirement age.

When you retired, how was your benefit (gratuity including and pension)?

It was not too bad by then. But if you compare it with those who left two years after us, you will know that there was nothing there. In fact, my colleagues and I that were retired in 1999 are in court challenging the injustice done to us. We are demanding for our rights and that justice be done to us because those that the company retired after us were paid the remaining years for them to be retired. They were paid the bulk money which we were not paid. Till today, that dictates what they are paid as pension.

When did you institute the court case?

We took the company to court as far back as 2003 and we were pursuing the case before the Federal Government said anything that concerns labour should be moved out of regular court. So, it was transferred from high court to National Industrial Court, NIC. Nigeria being  what she is, the case dragged on for almost ten years and the company was not coming to court except somebody representing its lawyer.

The company came one day with one Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, and argued  time lapse irrespective of genuineness or otherwise of the case made it not sustainable.  The time lapse from when we retired and the time the case was struck it out in May this year, made it to be above what the law permits. But we have gone back to the court about a month ago. No date has been fixed for hearing because of public holiday and other issues. We believe that any moment from now, we will get a date.

Since your retirement, how has it been?

Well, we have been managing which goes to show the greatness of God. I was having only one of my children in tertiary institution when I retired,  it was after my retirement that the remaining four went through. That goes to show that God is on my side. Even though we see workers complain about their pay, not to talk about after their retirement when they no longer receive anything as salary. But God has been seeing me through.

Apart from  God’s intervention, how have you been coping with retirement?

Our pension is paid as and  when due. There is no default in payment. But what we are fighting for is that the pension is meager to what we should be getting. What we are fighting for now is the allowances and salaries they are owing us because if they calculate that, it will increase the pension. That is what we are fighting for . It is not that we are not receiving  our pension.

What you  receive as pension how does it meet your daily needs, your medical feeding and so on?

I thank God Almighty for the medical because the company is still responsible for my medical needs including my children who were registered before my retirement. It is only one that is remaining which will end by December at the age of 25.  But according to the company’s policy, my wife and I will receive medical attention  till our last breadth.

Yours is a bit fair. But how do you feel about the situation of other retirees who are not so lucky?

I feel very bad. I have at least two persons like that who are  close to me, though not on monthly basis, but once a while, I assist them. Even some of the family members are still expecting what they were getting from me before my retirement. The grace is that I am not buying clothes and it is only one of my children that is still in school. It is only that one and my wife. Others are taking care of themselves.

What is your advise to young people who are about to retire?

First, they should cut their coat according to their clothes and they should remember that no matter how sweet it is, it will not be long and no matter how harsh it is, it will also not be long before it ends. So no matter how small, you must save something for the raining day and also train yourself. It is not after retirement before you start thinking of training yourself. I do tell them, buy what you need and not what you like. Almost everything I see, I like, but I do not need them. If they use their money to buy what they need and not what they like, it will be well with them.

Special occasion

They should avoid unnecessary expenses and outings. Something like asoebi, one should avoid it when it is avoidable. Like me, I do not know how many (fila) caps I have at home. I only wear them on special occasion, if not for special occasion I do not wear them. I have so many of them including those I have not even sewn. Those things are not what we need. They are because of the social outings and the environment that we are. They should not make themselves social slaves.

When is the right time for an employee to start preparing for retirement?

People keep saying the pay is small but I tell you as soon as you start receiving salary, you start preparing for your retirement. Let me tell you that if you save, you are going to be broke (lack of money), if you do not save, you are going to be broke. So, why not save? If you do, your mind will be there that you have saving somewhere which will be comforting.