The Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP) has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to make erring state governors address lingering pension issues in their states.
Bunmi Ogunkolade, NUP’s media and publicity secretary made this appeal on Sunday in Abuja.
Ogunkolade said that the main issues of pensioners include gratuity on the scheme and state governors who delay payment of pensions to the retirees.
“We have problems with many state governors as they are not forthcoming in the payment of pensioners in their states.
“Most of them are not paying pension as at when due and the list is of these erring governors is endless.
“Some of these state governors will say this is a democracy, we operate in a federal system of government, among others and the Federal Government cannot control the state governments,” he said.
The NUP president appealed to Buhari to call all erring state governors to order to pay pensioners without delay under whatever guise.
“All we want is that pensioners get their dues, because if they continue this way and manner, it will affect majority of the pensioners in the country.
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“There are situations where the Federal Government granted the state governments several bailouts such as Paris Cub fund, among other grants.
”Yet, they looked elsewhere instead of them to pay the pensioners, then the funds were not fully utilised for that very purpose.
“We want to appeal to him to use his powers within the law to address erring state governments,” he said.
Ogunkolade however suggested the direct deductions of pensions from the monthly federation allocations of the states.
“The pensions can then be paid directly to us if is it is possible to do so and the law allows it.
“This is because when this money gets to the states, it does not reach the hands of the pensioners,” he lamented.
Ogunkolade, however, commended Buhari’s administration for taking the issues concerning pensioners and their welfare in the country” as utmost importance”.
According to him, “I will like to say in all fairness to this administration that the pensioners under the defined benefit scheme have been getting their monthly pensions as at when due since 2016.
“On the contributory pension scheme, this government has equally tried to help us in the area of the accrued rights of pensioners on that scheme. And we want to commend them for that.
“We are also appealing to the National Pension Commission to please ensure that most of the laws or enabling acts in the contributory pension scheme are given a human face.
“Especially with the recent approved balance payment of 2.5 percent to pensioners under the scheme by Mr President, way and manner that the PFAs spread the payment that is supposed to be paid in bulk.
“This is not in tandem with the law. What we are saying is that if these monies have accrued, such as the balance of 2.5 percent should be paid as a lump sum to the pensioners.
“But PENCOM said no, that there is in the Act Section 7 subsection 1A that said that you cannot be paid more than N100,000 but if it is more than, it should be spread.
“Then this means that the value of the money is lost and this is not good for the pensioners,” he added.
Ogunkolade congratulated Nigerians on the 61st independence and Buhari for raising the bar for pensioners.
He attributed the current setbacks Nigeria was facing to some past mistakes and urged that they should be corrected for the sake of nation-building.
“Our expectation for the nation is that things will be better. We should learn from our mistakes, correct them and move away from the wrong things.
“Our mistakes in Nigeria include tribalism, ethnicity, corruption, hate speeches, and nepotism, among others.
“A nation like Nigeria should have a collective goal, be focussed and it is by so doing that we can move well and much faster.”
He, therefore, called on Nigerians to keep praying for the country, adding that Nigeria will not disintegrate and it will soon know peace.
“We are also appealing to the government to take a cue from the developed nations on how pensioners are well taken care of,” he said. NAN
