N10,000 monthly upkeep for pensioners disappointing – Reps Speaker

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dr. Tajudeen Abass, has expressed concern over the paltry amount of N10,000 paid to lowly placed pensioners in the country.

Speaking when he received the leadership of the National Senior Citizens Centre (NSCC) during a courtesy visit to his office at the National Assembly on Tuesday, he noted that the country’s pension system is not working to support retirees.

Expressing concern regarding the pension scheme, the Speaker assured the NSCC of his readiness to work with the centre to improve the system.

Lamenting the challenges faced by the elderly and retirees, he said: “I can’t imagine a civil servant working for 35 years or after attaining 60 years, only to come back home and be receiving 10,000, 15,000, 20,000, or 30,000 for monthly upkeep as pension. It is so depressing, so disappointing, and I believe both of us can do so much in this area.

“The pension system in Nigeria is simply not working to support the retirees. I believe we can collaborate and partner to see how we can improve the pension scheme. It is one big way of ensuring that your agency’s mandate is achieved.

“We are on the same page on the issue of health care. The elders (senior citizens) need special attention. The chair and the DG, please put heads together to come up with a bill that will give concessions on health, transportation, and other areas to the elderly.

“It is noteworthy to say that it is not an easy thing; the federal government is really stretched on the issue of budget because the revenue is not growing in the manner in which we expect. So, appropriating more money to agencies becomes critical. But even at that, your agency is one out of so many that deserves special attention. We will do the best we can to see how we can appropriate more funds to your agency.”

Assuring that the House would work towards increasing the NSCC’s annual budget, which currently stands at N250 million, he said the House would collaborate with the Committee on Disability Matters, chaired by Hon. Bashiru Dawodu, to ensure that the agency has at least one operational office in each of the six geopolitical zones of the country.

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The Speaker equally tasked the chairman of the committee to work with the agency to develop a bill that will provide concessions to senior citizens in healthcare, transportation, and other areas.

Earlier, the Director-General of the NSCC, Dr. Emem Omokaro, said the visit was to inform the Speaker about the centre’s operations and the challenges it has been facing despite its overwhelming mandate.

She sought the Speaker’s understanding for improved budgetary provision from the current N250 million annually, which she said was insufficient for the agency to fulfil its mandate.

The DG also requested the Speaker to address the issue of establishing offices across the country to meet the goal of catering to more senior citizens.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, Ph.D., receives a report from the Director-General of the National Senior Citizens Centre, Dr. Emem Omokaro, during a courtesy call by the agency to his office in Abuja on Tuesday.