NEWS
Nigerian workers make demands from Buhari
Some Federal
Government workers on Monday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to give priority
to timely payment of pensions and gratuities to retirees.
The workers made
the plea in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in
Lagos, at the pre-retirement workshop organised by National Pension Commission
(PenCom) for workers due to retire in 2020.
They noted that
retirees were being made to wait endlessly before receiving their benefits,
despite serving their fatherland for more than 30 years.
One of the workers,
Mr Olusegun Oga, a staff of Neuro Psychiatric Hospital, Lagos, told NAN that
the delay in settling retirees’ gratuities and pensions had brought discomfort
to many retired workers and their families.
“Most times,
retirees find it difficult to make ends meet after retirement, this happen
because of the long period awaited for gratuities and pensions payments.
“President Buhari
must ensure that retirees get there benefits a month after retirement.
“A federal
government worker should be paid like workers in the private sector that access
their gratuities immediately after retirement,” he said.
Mr Olufela Fashoro,
an Assistant Editor- in-Chief in NAN, also urged the government to fast track
the payment process, as doing so would ease the hardships retirees go through
and make them live long.
Another worker set
for retirement, Mr Ime Abakada, commended PenCom for organising the workshop,
but said it must improve on the payment process.
”The workshop is a
good thing, it has created a lot of awareness for us, but the government should
improve on pension payments process,” he said.
Mrs Ekanem Aikhomu,
Head, Benefit and Insurance Department, PenCom, while reacting to the pleas
said the commission had written to President Buhari on the payment of all
accrued pensions.
Aikhomu said the
President, through the Ministry of Finance is working hard to ensure that
retirees’ plight come to an end.
“For instance, the
amount we budgeted in 2019 to clear Accrued Pension of Retirees was not
reduced, unlike the previous ones.
”Though, we won’t
disclose the amount, but all we are waiting for is cash backing,” she said.
The Head, Corporate
Communications, PenCom, Mr Peter Aghahowa further said the Commission will not
relent in making the country’s pension landscape at par with developed
countries.
He said the
Commission’s commitment to all citizens was one major reason it developed micro
pension scheme to attract informal sector workers into the new pension scheme.
SHARE THIS STORY
The Imo State chapter of the Nigerian Union of
Pensioners, NUP, has described the state Governor, Rochas Okorocha as wicked
and insensitive for planning to recalculate or reduce the pensions of retirees.
