…Shocked FG Approved N32,000 Minimum Pay For Retirees Without Struggle
ABUJA: President of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Comrade Godwin Abumisi has criticised the distribution pattern of the palliatives the Federal Government made available for retirees, saying they are yet to get any from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs which is saddled with such responsibility.
He raised the complaint on Saturday, in Abuja, while briefing the press as part of activities commemorating the 2024 Pensioners Day.
Speaking on the theme for this year’s festivities, “The Unresolved Economic Hardship in Nigeria and its Traumatic Effects on the Lives of Nigerian Pensioners/Older Persons’, Abumisi said in order to get the palliatives across to her members, it should partner with the Union to get accurate database of the elderly population.
The NUP Boss also decried the economic hardship plaguing the country, lamenting that the senior citizens were negatively impacted by the subsidy removal policy.
According to him, most of senior citizens who contributed to the development of the society can barely afford drugs to keep them alife, including accommodation costs.
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“The primary purpose of observing the annual celebration is for us to come together to review our journey so far, and how far our members had faired in the past and how they are fairing under the ongoing harsh economic condition, so as to feel their pains and frustrations.
“It is also to enable the Union presents its charter of demands to the Federal Government towards finding sustainable solutions to our plight.
Regrettably, the pensioners who fall within the category of the most vulnerable persons in Nigeria, with their peculiar challenges are always left out in the distribution of the approved material and non-material palliative packages by the Federal Government.
“It is on this premise that we wish to once again draw the attention of the Federal Government via the Office of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs that is entrusted with the responsibility of distributing materials/cash to the poor vulnerable Nigerians, including the pensioners to expedite action on this directive towards cushioning the biting effect of the economic hardship being experienced by Nigerians.
“It is against this backdrop that we wish to suggest to the Federal Government that for any approved palliatives to get to our members across board, it should consider partnering with the pensioners’ union (NUP) and or the involvement of Government Agencies that handle pension payments, with accurate database,”Abumisi lamented.
Meanwhile, Abumisi expressed shock that the Federal Government without agitations from pensioners approved a N32,000 minimum wage increase for pensioners.
Recall that following the Federal Government’s assent to the new national minimum wage of N70,000, it recently released a circular directing the National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission to pay pensioners a minimum of N32,000 monthly.
“We are also appreciative and proud of the Federal Government for directing the National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission to release another circular of N32,000 pension increase arising from the N70,000 new national minimum wage without the usual pressure/demand from the Union, which is very unusual and first of its kind,” he stated.
