Pensioners want 33% pension increase

The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) over the weekend urged the Federal Government to immediately commence payment to civil pensioners a 33% pension increase as already being done for their military counterparts.

NUP President Abel Afolayan made the call in a communiqué released by the union after its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja where he charged the government to facilitate that would, through the Pension Transition Arrangement Department (PTAD) to address main challenges of include nonenrolment of scores of pensioners on the federal pension payroll several years after retirement.

He said another source of worry for pensioners include the non-harmonization of pension for many pensioners, unacceptable neglect of the welfare of state pensioners by many state governments, non-payment of gratuity and death benefits, non-compliance with the constitutional provisions of sections 173(3) and 210(3) by the federal and state governments on the five-yearly pension increase, omission of names of genuine pensioners from the pension payroll and replacing them with ghost pensioners.

The union observed with dismay the mismanagement of pensioners’ records as well as funds by government officials entrusted with such responsibility, just as it frowns at the non-inclusion of NUP members in the ongoing National Conference.

“The union calls for the resumption or restoration of the withdrawn 5% counterpart funds by the federal government to local government pension board towards assuaging the suffering of the affected pensioners,” the union said.