Benue pensioners seek NLC intervention over unpaid pension
Pensioners in Benue state have asked the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Ayuba Wabba to intervene in ensuring the payment of their entitlement running into several months and an upward review of their pensions.
In a letter to the NLC President, signed by the Chairman and Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners in the state, Comrade Peter Kyado and Comrade Joseph Adakole respectively, the pensioners said many of them still collect as little as N800 as pension monthly, pointing out that for over 13 months state pensioners were yet to be paid that stipend, while local government pensioners have not been paid their pension for a period ranging from six months to seven months.
They said even though the some of the liability was inherited from a previous administration, they believe that the government has received enough money to offset the arrears.
They claimed that they were convinced that the state government lacked the political will to pay the pensioners’ entitlement and not the non-availability of funds is responsible for the predicament of pensioners in the state, adding that they have written several letters of request and staged three peaceful protests matches to the appropriate authority to press for the payment of our entitlements but to no avail.
The statement reads, “Gratuity running into billions of naira are outstanding in the state. However, we appreciate the fact that much of the indebtedness was inherited from past administrations in the state. The non-review of pensions in the state for over sixteen years has put the pensioners in the state at the most precarious financial predicament.
“Pensions payment have remained stagnant since 2001 despite six differ not the public salary increase. This is contrary to the provisions of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria (as amended) in section 173 where pensions are to be reviewed every five years or whenever there is a public salary increase whichever is earlier.