The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Taraba State Council, has appealed to Governor Agbu Kefas to direct the State Local Government Pension Board to refund monies allegedly deducted from the September pension of Local Government retirees.

The State Chairman of the Union, Comrade El-Nathan Bila Auta, made the appeal while addressing journalists in Jalingo, describing the deductions as “illegal and inhumane”.

He said, “The deductions came even as many pensioners in the state receive as little as N3000 and N4000 as monthly pension.”

According to Auta, the deductions, reportedly ranging between ?2,000 and ?3,000, were carried out by the Board without prior notice or explanation to the affected pensioners.

He added that the Union later learned that the deductions were made to cover the cost of producing the “Yellow Papers”, which were documents containing the full details of retirees’ payment records and entitlements.

“In the entire history of the civil service, the Yellow Paper has always been issued to retirees free of charge after completing all retirement procedures

“It is therefore unacceptable that the Board is now deducting from already meager pensions without considering the severe hardships faced by pensioners.” he said

He lamented that some pensioners in Taraba State still receive as little as ?3,000 to ?4,000 monthly, describing the deductions as a form of exploitation.

“While we are struggling for the implementation of the N30,000 minimum wage for our members, the Board went ahead to deduct from the little they are receiving.

“We view this as a serious violation of administrative ethics. If the deductions are not refunded, the Union will be forced to seek legal redress,” he warned.

Some affected pensioners, including Hauwa Ibrahim (Donga), Ibrahim Aliyu Bello, Simon A. Bogbog, Yahya Abubakar, and Dame Raphael, also expressed anger over the deductions, describing them as unjust and insensitive amid the current economic hardship.

They called on Governor Agbu Kefas to intervene urgently by ordering an immediate refund and ensuring that the N30,000 and N70,000 minimum wages already implemented for active workers are extended to pensioners, alongside continued payment of gratuities.

When contacted for clarification, the Executive Secretary of the Taraba State Local Government Pension Board, Mr. Thomas Daniel, defended the deductions, insisting they were legitimate.

“The deductions were made in good faith for the production and distribution of Yellow Papers to 1,166 local government pensioners enrolled in 2023 and another 1,133 enrolled in January this year,” Daniel said (Daily Trust)