The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has lamented the non-payment of gratuities to its members in the Northeastern states of Bauchi, Gombe, Taraba and Adamawa by the state governments.
The union, in a press statement signed by its national vice president, North East Zone, Alhaji Inuwa Ahmad, and issued to journalists yesterday in Bauchi, stated that pensioners in the states suffered hardship and many of them have died without getting their respective entitlement.
“In view of this issue, we are calling on our pensioners to vote for the government that will favour their demands and not to vote for those that are not listening or settling their entitlements.
“Our request is in line with the provision of sections 173 sub-section 3 and 210 subsection 3 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) which clearly states that pensions should be reviewed every five years or together with any Federal Civil Service salary review, whichever is earlier,” the statement read.
The NUP vice president called for the implementation of the national minimum pension as N30,000 alongside the recent agreement reached by the tripartite committee, stressing that whatever is finally approved as the national minimum wage should equally apply to pensioners.
While appreciating the effort of the Federal Government on behalf of pensioners in the North East for the release of N22.4 billion to settle pension funds of the Nigeria Airways staff, Ahmad appealed to the Federal Government through Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) to settle the balance of 12 months arrears of 33 per cent pension increase of 2010.
