Pensioners have
cried out to President Muhammadu Buhari to save their souls from the pains of
poverty following non-payment of their pension arrears which have
accumulated
for several months.
Making the cry yesterday
in Calabar, President of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP, Dr Abel Afolayan
while addressing journalists listed twelve areas where pensioners have been
subjected to severe difficulties which need to be addressed urgently by the
President to save the souls of members.
Dr Afolayan listed
those areas to include non-compliance with constitutional provision by the
yearly review of 5% pension, non harmonisation of old and new pensions,
arbitrary deductions from pensions, non remittance of federal government
counterpart funding into local government pension fund among others.
“Pension arrears
have piled up over the years during the regimes of past administrations with
‘mountains of complaint” forms submitted by pensioners and inherited by Pension
Transitional Arrangements Directorate which still lie unattended to for several
years”.
The NUP President
who was represented by Elder Tubonimi Sukuyep, the National Vice President
South- South of the NUP said the government has not complied with the annual
review of pension as stipulated by the Constitution. “1999 Constitution of
Nigeria stipulates that pensions shall be reviewed every five years or together
with any Federal Civil Service salary reviews whichever is earlier; the last
pension review was in July 2010, the pensioners are therefore eagerly waiting
for the implementation of the review in compliance with the Constitution”.
The pensioners
President also complained of arbitrary deductions from stipends of members
which is negatively impacting on their welfare because their finances are being
severely affected. “We do not pay tax, as pension is tax free therefore our
rightful entitlement should be 53.4% but as at now only 33% approved for our
members are in arrears of thirty months”.
They also complained
of non-payment of death benefits to next of kins of deceased pensioners which
is subjecting the families of deceased pensioners to unnecessary difficulties
and hardships. “We would humbly like to plead that death benefits of deceased
pensioners should be paid without any further delay”.LINK
Follow Solenzo Blog on
0 Comments