The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has lamented the conditions of public sector retirees, saying some of them still receive N500 as a monthly pension in the country.
Secretary of the union in Kaduna State, Alhassan Musa, described the condition of the retirees as ‘pathetic’, saying that most of the affected retirees were in precarious conditions, after ‘they sacrificed their lives and services for the nation’.
“The worst affected are pensioners in most of the Southern and oil-producing states despite getting fat allocations from the federation account.
“The condition of pensioners in some Northern states and the FCT is far better up, as some of them received between N3,500 and N18,000 monthly pension”.
Musa, who is also the NUP secretary in charge of the 19 Northern states and the North-West, however, said only retirees in Kaduna State were earning N30,000 minimum pension monthly.
The secretary recalled that the Kaduna state government in 2020 implemented N30,000 minimum pension during the administration of Governor Nasir El-Rufa’i.
According to him, “The union proposed a 50 per cent increment even under the defunct N30,000 national minimum wage.
“We are anticipating that the 50 per cent increase would be approved in line with the new N70,000 national minimum wage. Even under the Federal Government, some pensioners are receiving N10,000 minimum pension.
“We are hoping that the Federal Government will balance it up so that no pensioner will receive less than N70,000 as his/her monthly pension.
“Let pensioners also enjoy the same benefits the workers are enjoying.
“If a worker is receiving N70,000 minimum salary, so, let the pensioner enjoy the same.”
Musa said workers who retired under the contributory pension scheme, CPS, were facing formidable challenges, noting “Honestly, these people are facing a lot of challenges because some of them retired in the last 10 years, and yet to draw their benefits.
“It is really pathetic, this is happening in Kaduna and other states.
“Even under the federal government, those who retired under the contributory pension scheme are suffering as their accruals are yet to be remitted into their accounts.”
According to Musa, once a worker retires, he is supposed to be placed on pension within three months and receive his lump sum.
Musa blamed the situation on the failure of Ministries, Departments and Agencies, and MDAs, to remit monthly contributions to individual workers’ accounts, adding “This is because they are not remitting the money as at when due as being expected of them.”
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