Delayed release of N34.9bn approved arrears, liabilities: Pensioners beg for Buhari’s intervention

Nigerian pensioners, under the aegis of Electricity Sector Retirees Welfare Association (ESREWA), have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently intervene and ensure urgent release of their established arrears/liabilities over which many of their members have died pursuing.

ESREWA stated that the money in question is about N34.9bn, and is the established arrears and liabilities owed to NEPA/PHCN pensioners under Defined Benefits Scheme (DBS).

Speaking to newsmen in Abuja, the President of ESREWA, Elder Benjamin Amako, said, “We have been crying over the years, precisely since 2014 this money was approved. The Pensions Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) was ordered to pay this money when we left Nigeria Electricity Liability Management Company (NELMCO) by the instruction of the Federal Ministry of Finance.

“Since then, PTAD has actually been paying our monthly pension but has not paid us this money which is supposed to make the life of our aged pensioners better. But unfortunately as I talk to you, we have not received a penny of this money in question. This money was established, approved by the National Assembly, the Senate in particular. You will be surprised that this money was approved since 2014 and was even budgeted for, yet we have not seen a dime of it.

“So we the electricity sector pensioners are calling on the President of our country, President Muhammadu Buhari, haven known him to be compassionate and caring to the welfare of pensioners since he came to office, to please help us.

“We are telling him that we have gotten this money that was approved and directed to be paid to us. We are worried and afraid that some individuals may have stolen this money, especially in this era of wanton corruption, where many public office holders are stealing the sweat of pensioners every now and then.

“This money belongs to over 16,000 pensioners of the defunct NEPA. We have been going here and there begging for our right to be given to us that many of our members have in the course died. We are pleading to the public office holders to have mercy on us and give us what is ours. They should know that they will soon be pensioners. They should have a heart and pity the suffering of pensioners and stop withholding the due entitlements of pensioners. It is pitiable that we have been crying for what is ours but no one seems to care to listen or help us.”

Furthermore, Elder Amako said, “Mr President Sir, we are calling and pleading with you to help us on this matter. We are begging you to save the lives of thousands of electricity pensioners who are lying in hospital beds with no enough money to buy drugs and sustain life.

“We also want to put it on record that the Ministry of Finance in the recent past set up a committee and directed that this money be fetched and paid to us. The current Minister of Environment, Dr Sharon Ikeazor, the former Executive Secretary of PTAD was the secretary of this said committee. Since then, we have been going from the Finance Ministry, PTAD office and even to the Accountant General’s office to ask for this approved money but no one is responding to us.

“It is a known fact that many pensioners in this country are on their own in terms of accessing healthcare and many of us are suffering from one ailment to the other. So we wonder why a public office holder in this country will decide not to give to pensioners what is rightfully theirs.

“President Buhari Sir, we are once again pleading with you as our last hope to tell the Minister or Finance to look for our money and give it to us. We cannot continue dying in silence. If those who ought to give us this money continue to ignore us, we will in no distant time go on the streets, lay and die there.”