Pensioners Demand Living Wages

Okon Bassey in Uyo

The South -south zonal forum of Nigeria Union of Pensioners has lamented the increasing hardship and deplorable plight of its members, and appealed to stakeholders to come to their rescue, especially with the present state of the country.

The appeal was contained in a communique endorsed by Comrade William Seleipere and Obong Cosmas Essien, zonal chairman and secretary on behalf of the pensioners, and was made available to journalists yesterday in Uyo, thye Akwa Ibom State capital.

According to the communique, “The South-South Council observed with dismay that some pensioners are still earning N1,500, N2,000, N3,000, and therefore urged all state governments to harmonise increase on the low-income earning pensioners.

The group regretted that most of the communique issued at the end of our meetings to the government are not attended to by state governments to ameliorate the plight of pensioners.

The forum called on all its state councils to reach out to different state governments to ensure the implementation of most of the communique.

However, the Zonal Council expressed appreciation to the Akwa lbom State governor for releasing N14 billion for the payment of gratuity to retired primary school teachers, civil pensioners and local government pensioners within his nine months in office.

They appealed to the Akwa Ibom State Government  to establish Pension Commission or Boards or Bureau to handle the subtle issues of pensioners in the state.

The pensioners called on Committee on Living Wages to consider pensioners for living pensions, since their condition is deplorable, especially with the acute hunger in the country.

The group rejected the issue of merging the PTAD with the Federal Ministry of Finance, stressing that the good works of PTAD in the interest of pensioners was also appreciated.

They also highlighted that the prompt reaction of the national headquarters on the issue of NUP representation on minimum wage without relying on NLC representation was also appreciated by the zone.

On the issue of palliative, the meeting called on all state governors to include pensioners in their palliative scheme, and equally appreciated the states governors that have done same

Also speaking, Mrs. Ekereobong Umoh, chairman Akwa Ibom State Civil Service Commission noted that it is a common knowledge that old age comes with constrained ability to work and earn a living,  and stressed the need to plan ahead on how to survive at this stage of life, as pensions is usually a form of support at such a time.