The Nigeria Union of Pensioners Contributory Pension Scheme Sector (NUPCE) besieged the Federal Ministry of Finance on Tuesday, protesting against any payment of their retirement benefits.

The retirees who blocked the Ministry?s gate for a considerable time said Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) retirees were excluded from the three pension increments paid or approved by the present administration to retired public servants.

They also complained of no release of the backlog of 18 months of funds for accrued rights to retired workers.

The National Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners Contributory Pension Scheme Sector (NUPCE), Comrade Sylva C. Nwaiwu, who handed over a prepared text to journalists, said, ?CPS retirees were excluded from the three pension increments paid or approved by the present administration to retired public servants.

?Also, the release of funds for accrued rights to retired workers accumulated to 21 months (March 2023 to November 2024). Though we appreciate the fact that 3 months out of the 21 months of accrued rights were released after a peaceful rally by this union at the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation on October 23, 2024, we still have a backlog of 18 months yet to be released.?

He stressed that these unfortunate present developments are causes for concern and worry to retired workers under the CPS.

Comrade Nwaiwu highlighted that those of them who were in service before the commencement of the CPS in 2004 were retired from the service under the old pension, the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS) in 2004, but allowed to complete their mandatory retirement age of 35 years.

He said many of them spent more of their service years under the DBS than the CPS, therefore having the same constitutional rights to pension increments or other retirement benefits as other reared public servants under the DBS.

However, he pointed out that unlike other retired public servants, the Federal Government has continued to discriminate against and marginalise CPS retirees from all pension benefits.

According to him, these include the ?15% increase in 2007; 33% increase in 2010; consequential adjustment in 2019 following the increase in the national minimum wage; a 20% to 28% increase in 2024; and the approved N32,000 per month pension increase arising from the current minimum wage of N70,000 to workers.?.

Comrade Nwaiwu stated that ?as it is today, retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) have become endangered species, highly famished, dehumanised, and subjected to untold hardships in the Nigerian society. Many CPS retirees are bedridden, with many of them being sent to their early graves without enjoying the fruits of their labour after 35 years of using their youthful years to serve their fatherland.?.

He advised those who are about to join the ?unpleasant CPS bandwagon? to note the agonies they are likely to face at retirement, except urgent steps are taken to change the ugly narratives in the CPS sector. (Nigerian Tribune)

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