The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Ondo State chapter, on Thursday, appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to approve special bailout for pensioners across the states of the country.
The state Pensioners who made the appeal in Akure, the state capital on the occasion of the Pensioners’ Day celebration, said the step would go a long way to settle accumulated arrears of gratuities and pension of the retirees.
The Acting Chairman of NUP in the State, Mr Adedapo Salami, who stated this, said pensioners in the state are being owed about N50 billon since 2011 which had led to the death of some of them.
He said past administrations had failed to come to the aid of pensioners despite several complaints and appealed to President Buhari to come to their aid
Speaking on the theme, “NUP, Pain And Gains; Minimizing The Pains, Maximizing a Sustaining the Gains”, Salami stressed the need for the state and local governments to device means to reduce suffering of teeming pensioners in the state.
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He urged the state government to start the implementation of 33 percent pension increase with the new minimum wage.
He said, “on Pension Arrears, the Ondo State Pensioners are grateful to the present State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) for the payment of 6 months pension arrears out of 7 months owed and left unpaid by the immediate past Governor for core pensioners while 4/half months were paid to the Local Government and primary school pensioners out of their own seven months arrears.
“It is pertinent to note that the State Government is yet to implement the 33 percent pension increase to State Pensioners. We strongly appeal to The Government to implement the 33 percent pension increase before the implementation of the proposed N30,000 minimum wage to save the State Pensioners from being short-changed.”
The NUP Acting Chairman explained that, “unpaid gratuities: the unabated problem of non payment of gratuities has been giving the leadership of our Union a nightmare particularly within the Local Government and the Primary School Pensioners.
“The issue of most pensioners that had retired since 2011, up to date and are yet to be paid their gratuities is a matter of great concern to the Union. The Ondo State Government is therefore enjoined to look into this nagging issue so as to put smiles to the faces of Pensioners,” said Salami.
In his address, governor Akeredolu who was represented by the Secretary to the state government, Mr Sunday Abegunde said his administration had committed N5.5billion to pay backlog of unpaid gratuity inherited in 2017.
Akeredolu promised that his government would work out how to implement the 33 percent pension increase being demanded by the senior citizens.
Akeredolu stated that, “payment of N5.5 billions released up to date for the part payment of backlogs of unpaid gratuity inherited in 2017; Regular and prompt monthly release of N150 million for the payment of gratuity.
“Payment of inherited 6 months arrears of pension out of seven months; we will soon implement 33% pension increase when our finance improves.”
and then