NUP urges FG to consider retirees as beneficiaries of new minimum wage

The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has appealed to the Federal Government to use the approved N30,000 minimum wage as yardstick in calculating the retirees’ monthly pensions.

The pensioners argued that they believe they deserve the new increase because they had in the past contributed immensely to the development of the country.

The union stated this yesterday in a communique issued at the end of its South-West meeting held in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital.

The communique, signed by the Drafting Committee Chairman, Rev. Remi Johnson, reads in part: “We require our minimum pension to be N30,000 as considered and approved as the minimum wage. Payment of gratuities to those affected should be made without delay.”

It, therefore, urged the newly-elected governors and the incumbents to be “pensioners-friendly” and pay all the arrears of gratuities and pensions, as well as implementation of 33.4 per cent increase and all other arrears in pension.

In another development, the Ekiti State Government has restated its commitment to ameliorating the plight of pensioners in the state.

The state said it would soon come up with a creative ways to clear unpaid gratuities that had accumulated over the years.

Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, who disclosed this yesterday during a meeting with the executive members of the state chapter of the NUP, led by its chairman, Elder Ayo Kumapayi, who had paid the governor a visit to congratulate him on the recent Court of Appeal victory and to thank him for the regular payment of their pensions monthly since October 2018, decried the hardship pensioners are passing through as a result of non-payment of their gratuity and irregular payment of pensions.

The governor said his administration had increased the monthly gratuity payment from N10 million to N100 million monthly to capture more pensioners in the process, adding that he would ensure that he continues to meet government obligations to pensioners.

Fayemi also restated the resolve of his administration to establish recreational facilities for the elderly where the issue of their health would be taken care of by the state through Health Insurance Scheme that will soon commence.