The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has lamented the non-remittance of N145 billion into the contributory pension scheme by the Federal Government.

The President of the union, Godwin Abumisi, who disclosed this in Abuja, recently during the commemoration of Pensioners’ Day, explained that the non-release of the funds for the settlement of the accrued rights of contributory pensioners is causing delays in the payment of monthly pension to the retired workers.

“The total accumulated accrued rights as of today stands at about N140 billion. We hereby call on the Federal Government for its timely intervention to save the souls of this category of pensioners from sudden deaths,” he stated.

This comes as the Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Dr Beta Edu, said the Federal Government would start paying N25,000 to pensioners at the end of this month, for three months as part of palliatives for subsidy removal.

Commenting on the payment, the NUP President, who lauded the plan, said though the three months are not enough and discriminatory, it is nevertheless, a welcome development.

However, he was quick to caution the Federal Government against disbursing the funds through ad hoc bodies but through the National Pension Commission (Pencom) or Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD).

“We wish to suggest to the Federal Government that for any approved palliatives to get to our members across the board, it should consider the use of government agencies that handle pension payments, with accurate database records, containing the account details of all pensioners for easy access and delivery. These agencies/departments include PTAD, and Pencom for Federal pensioners, including Federal parastatals. Ditto State Pension Boards for state pensioners and Local Government Pension Boards for Local Government Pensioners. We consider the above channels as effective, seamless means of getting across to our members with any form of palliative,” he stated.

While decrying the worsening living conditions of retirees in the county, Abumisi explained that choosing, ‘Subsidy Removal and its Negative Effects on the Lives of the Pensioners/Older Persons’, as the theme of the 2023 Pensioners Day, aptly captured the prevailing economic hardship occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy and the evil of Naira redesign policy, which had further pauperised the already choked pensioners.

He added: “Older persons in Nigeria are facing acute poverty, neglect, deprivations, hopelessness and in most cases premature death due to inability to afford drugs to treat ailments associated with old age.

Regrettably, the pensioners who fall in the category of the most vulnerable persons in Nigeria with their peculiar challenges are always left out in the distribution of material and non-material palliative packages.”