…Police pensioners owed 39 months arrears

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

UMBRELLA body for pensioners in the country; the Nigeria Union Pensioners, NUP, is seeking for a N25,000 monthly pension for pensioners in the country, lamenting that many pensioners are still paid less than N5,000 pension monthly despite the high rate of inflation and economic recession.

President of NUP, Comrade Abel Afolayan, who spoke at the union’s National Executive Council, NEC, also decried months of unpaid pensions by state governors, declaring that many state pensioners were being owed over 12 months, while many of across the country had remained for many months without any payment.

Afolayan however commended  governors of Lagos, Jigawa, Anambra, Enugu and Yobe states for prompt payment, saying, “these states are not owing our pensioners any monthly pensions and dues and we will not hesitate to sing their praise.”

Civil Servants on the queue for verification exercise.

He advised the defaulting governors to make amend so that “old men will not be forced to pronounce  curses on them with their grey hair.”

He also demanded for immediate payment of the 18 months of the 33 per cent pension arrears to the civil pensioners and 39 months areas owed the Police pensioners.

On the  demand for N25.000 monthly pension, he  contended that it was criminal for a pensioner to collect less than N5,000 monthly in this time of serious economic recession.

According to him: “Before I left Osogbo for this meeting, my wife told me a bag of rice is now N22,000. It means that that even the N25,000 we are asking can only buy a bag of rice. I should tell you, as at now, some pensioners are still paid less than N5,000. It is criminal for a pensioner to collect less than N5,000.”

The NUP president said the union entered into a long negotiation with the Federal Government for the upward review of pension which finally yielded result when the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, directed that Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission to issue a circular for 33 per cent pension increase effective July 1, 2010.

He said that resulted in the payment 24 months to civilian pensioners across the country out of the 42 months arrears, remaining a balance of 18 months, “of which we have a very good assurance that government will pay the balance soonest.”

Afolayan Explained that the leadership of the union was still struggling to ensure that Police, NIPOST, Electricity, Railways, Universities pensioners and others who were yet to get full benefits from the government were paid fully.

The NUP president assured pensioners that the union would not rest until all of them who were owed get their pensions, saying : “Dear comrades, today is not a day of long and endless speech from me. But I want to assure that we shall not rest on our oars until the government pay us all our entitlements to the last kobo.”

Speaking, Executive Secretary, Pension Transitional Arrangements Directorate, PTAD, Sharon Ikeazor, threw her support behind the position of NUP, saying that civil pensioners were still owed 18 months, while the Police pensioners were owed 39 months.

Ikeazor said PTAD was only able to offset some of the 42 month arrears based on available resources noting that “PTAD is not unmindful of the complaints from the Police pensioners but we assure everyone that working with all relevant stakeholders, towards resolving the problems.”

She called on all state and federal executives of the NUP to take a message back to the pensioners not give money to anybody to help them process pension payment.

According to her, “PTAD will never ask a pensioner for money to process the payment of their pension and other entitlements. Do not give cash to anybody.”