FCTA Pensioners Protest Non-payment of 33 Months’ Arrears
Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), pensioners yesterday laid siege to the entrance of the FCTA secretariat to demand the payment of 33 months unpaid pensions by the administration.
The protesters under the aegis of Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) said they embarked on the peaceful protest which was originally planned for last year after the administration reneged on the assurance by the minister to pay their arrears.
The Chairman of NUP, Mr. Mohammed Bida, said that the protest was to draw the attention of the minister, Malam Muhammad Bello to his unfulfilled promise.
“We were to commence a peaceful assembly at the Minister’s office November 2021, but we were called for a dialogue. The minister assured us that we would be paid immediately the National Assembly approved the 2022 FCT budget, up till date we have not been paid the consequential adjusted arrears (33 months) which circular came out in 2019.
“The union has been writing letters of reminder to no avail. Our members have asked us, the leaders to issue a 14-day notice of peaceful gathering starting from December, 2022. We have done that and nothing happened, that is why we started the protest today,” he said.
He lamented that the consequential adjusted pension which circular came out in 2019, has since been implemented by the Area Council Pension board with full payment, remaining the FCDA.
The Director FCTA Human Resource Management, Mr. Mohammed Bashir, who addressed the retired staff, assured that their arrears would be paid on or before May 29, 2023.
“The administration is concerned about the plights of its pensioners but there are processes which we are almost done with, on or before May 29, 2023, all the arrears will be cleared,” Bashir said.
He added that FCTA had directed the Pension director to within two weeks capture all the pensioners on National Health Insurance Scheme, saying their pension would be paid as soon the processes were cleared.
