North East pensioners urge governors to review benefit package
Pensioners in the north east have appealed to governors in the region to review pensions being paid to retirees in their states.
The appeal was made in a statement issued in Bauchi by the North East Zonal National Vice President of Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Alhaji Muhammadu Inuwa Ahmad.
He called on the governors to settle outstanding gratuities being owed by the states to improve the living conditions of the retirees and their families.
The senior citizen said the appeal was necessary because of the critical situation of pensioners in the region as most of the state governments pay them token as pensions while others are not paying regularly.
Ahmad said that there are provisions in the constitution that provides for upward review of pension, but lamented that most states have not increased pension for decades.
He explained that Section 173(3) and section 210(3) of the 1999 constitution (as amended) stipulate that “pension must be reviewed every five years or together with any increase in workers’ wages.’’
He said many state do not review pensions thereby making retirees living in misery despite the selfless service they rendered the nation when they were younger.
The NUP Vice president added that minimum pension in Adamawa, Borno and Taraba States is N4, 500 while Gombe and Bauchi States pay N9, 000 and N12, 719 respectively.
“As the most senior citizens, pensioners are supposed to be concurrently determined and importantly addressed, almost all of the North Eastern States, except Yobe, are artificially injected with poorly syndrome,” he said.
He called for the immediate enrolment of pensioners into the monthly pension payroll, Continuous upward review of pension every five (5) years or together with any increase in workers’ salary, whichever comes earlier as stipulated by section 173(3) and section 210(3) of the 1999 constitution (as amended).
The senior citizen also demand the Clearing of pensioners’ emoluments/ gratuities instantaneously and implementation of 30,000 as minimum pension, as both pensioners and workers have equal needs and expenditures and go to the same market for shopping.