The national leadership of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has lamented high backlog of gratuities owed to pensioners by state governments in the country, saying that inflation has eaten up the minimum wage of serving workers, especially pension gratuities.

Speaking during the union’s sixth State Delegate Conference in Ilorin on Wednesday, the national president, Comrade Mazi Godwin Abumisi, said that monthly pension of some pensioners is not more than N4,000.

The NUP president, represented by Comrade Waheed Olojede of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), said that some governors owed pension gratuities as far back as 2013 and 2014.

He called on state governors to place high premium on payment of pension and gratuities of pensioners in their respective states, saying that the people had served the governments meritoriously in their prime.

Also speaking at the event where Pastor (Dr.) Moses Lawal emerged as the new chairman, the outgoing chairman of the NUP in the state, Comrade Alhaji Saidu Mahmud Oladimeji, commended Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for regular payment of monthly pensions, clearance of accumulated pension arrears and commencement of gratuity payments to retirees in the state.

Oladimeji said the governor’s administration had implemented a 20 per cent pension increase for local government retirees who left service before May 2010, introduced a N10,000 pension increase across the board and included pensioners in palliative payments during difficult economic periods.

He, however, appealed to the state government to expedite gratuity payments, harmonise pensions, implement consequential adjustments arising from the N30,000 and N70,000 national minimum wages, provide free healthcare for pensioners and address the union’s need for a permanent secretariat and motor vehicle for union’s activities.

In his acceptance speech, Lawal pledged to prioritise pensioners’ welfare, pursue outstanding gratuity and pension arrears, and engage the state government on reviewing the N10,000 pension increase.

He expressed concern that some pensioners still received monthly pensions of not more than N13,000, even with the N10,000 increase.

The new chairman also promised to promote the inclusion of pensioners in state parastatals and tertiary institutions in the union’s activities and work towards reducing the hardship retirees experience during screening exercises.

Other members of the incoming executive committee are Mallam Ibrahim Abdulkarim, vice chairman; Alhaji Haruna B. Danjuma, treasurer; Chief James Dosumu and Alhaji Baba Akano, executive committee members; and Alhaji Abdullahi G. Amao, trustee.

The conference marked the end of the outgoing executive’s two consecutive terms, which began in April 2018, with a call for unity and sustained engagement to improve the welfare of pensioners across Kwara. (Nigerian Tribune)