On pension increment

Nigerian workers were happy at the news that the Federal Government has approved N30,000.00 for workers in the country. And with this gesture, all other grade levels upward will be automatically affected when government interprets the mode of implementation. Thank you for making Nigerian workers happy by increasing their wages.

I want to draw the attention of President Muhammadu Buhari to the plights of Nigerian pensioners. There are three categories of them; those who retired long time ago in or before 1988. They lost much in terms of gratuities and pensions because of the poor salary on which they retired.

Despite former head of state Abdulsalamu Abubakar and former president Obasanjo’s pay rise formular of ISO, 30 and 14,2 per cent the monthly pension allowance, irrespective of their grade levels, was so poor and could not be compared with their counterparts’ who retired during Obasanjo’s regime. The gap is too wide for various grade levels. The gap is wider now because it continues to widen.

In Nigeria at present many states are paying annoying pension allowances like N4,000.00 or less to their pensioners per month and these people have served them for so many years, even up to 35 years, before they retired. Some who are also senior officers that retired then on Grade Levels 10 to Grade Level 169 cadre, there is none of them earning up to N40,000.00 per month now. What meaningful life will you expect such pensioners, probably a grand papa or mama, to love?

The government cannot continue to watch them dropping dead on a daily basis for lack of what they will eat.

• Climate change threatens progress across sustainable development —UN Report

The standard of living in the country today is very high. Pensioners like others still have responsibilities to cope with until they die.

The pension pay of N4,000.00 or less per month cannot feed any person for a week not to talk of feeding his extended family. Their families still regard them as their family heads. Therefore, Nigerian pensioners are appealing to the president to review their pensions upwards with a view to alleviating their plights.

What the Nigerian pensioners are asking for is a meaningful increase on what they are paying them now. What they are paying them now cannot sustain their lives. They want a good pay rise that will be in tune with today’s economic realities that could recognize ‘the inflatory trends of the moments.

We all buy from the same market. The various employers that employed and spent them should be able to take care of the pensioners.

Dosu Popoola,

08067112893.