By OLAJIDE IDOWU

Mr Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to look into the plights of contributory pensioners in the country.

Oyintiloye, a member of defunct APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), made the appeal while speaking with newsmen on Tuesday in Osogbo.

The APC chieftain said that delayed, non-payment of pensions, inadequate funding and corruption within the pension scheme has led to hardship and financial stress for pensioners.

Oyintiloye, a former lawmaker, said that since 2004, when the Pensions Reform Act (PRA 2004) on the contributory pension scheme was introduced by the Federal Government, the pensioner had not been treated fairly.

According to him, many pensioners, after two to three years of retirement are unable to access their pension while some are paid 50 per cent and 25 per cent lump sum after retirement.

The APC said that it was sad that many civil servants who had served the government for 35 years were being subjected to untold hardship after retirement due to delay and poor payment.

Oyintiloye, who commended Tinubu for approving N758 billion bond in February to clear 16 years pension liabilities, said that more were needed to be done to save pensioners from untold hardships after retirement.

He urged the President to work with the National Assembly to review the 2004 Pensions Reform Act to enable pensioners to withdraw all their retirement savings immediately after exiting the public service.

Oyintiloye said that such step would enable them to carter for themselves, venture into any business of their choice rather than living on 25 per cent lump sum of their savings and the monthly peanut.

He said that the kind life pensioners were living after retirement due to poor pay and delay could destroy the morale of those still in service and the coming generations.

?I want to appeal to the President to look into the plights of pensioners under the contributory scheme.

?The 2004 Pension Act need reviewing to enable pensioners to live a decent life after retirement.

?Due to poor and delay in payment, many retirees cannot afford a decent meal, good health care, good housing, among others after retirement.

?The intervention of the President will go a long way in bringing relief to retirees and hope for those who are still in active service.

?That is why I am pleading with the President to intervene. He has shown that he is a leader with capacity to solve problems.

?His intervention will go a long way in bringing relief to these people and hope for those who are still in active service,? he said. (NAN)

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