The Concerned Federal Civil Service Pensioners Stakeholders group has called for the immediate cancellation of the upcoming National Delegates Conference of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP).
The group also demanded the immediate dissolution of the union and the appointment of a sole administrator to manage its operations, citing allegations of persistent mistreatment, exclusion, and manipulation of its members.
The group’s secretary, Ejaife William, made the call during a press conference in Abuja on Thursday.
The Guardian reports that the association is a pressure group within the NUP.
William alleged that the union is responsible for the numerous problems faced by pensioners, adding that the April 14 and 15 conference excluded Federal Civil Service pensioners as delegates.
He argued that the exclusion raises concerns about the union’s ability to effectively represent and serve its members.
“There is no pensioner working at the NUP headquarters office. The entire workforce in that office are mere employees of the pensioners’ union. This is so because the NUP does not want us pensioners to be in charge of our affairs. This act is ridiculous because these persons working for us have little or no knowledge about the plight and yearnings of pensioners,” William said.
He accused the NUP of fostering division through election processes, using “divide and rule tactics” to pit elderly pensioners against one another.
“They hand-pick stooges from our sector (FCSPB) to superintend over our affairs. This mischievous act by NUP has been ongoing for decades. They spend our money with a few selected persons from our sector to satisfy their greed and interests,” he added.
William also called on the current NUP President, Comrade Elder Godwin Abumisi, to abandon his bid for a second term, describing his leadership as a “complete failure.”
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“His reign is a complete failure as nothing tangible was achieved throughout his four-year tenure. The man has no control over the staff under him at NUP headquarters, probably because of his age, weakness, and frailty,” William stated.
He compared Abumisi’s leadership unfavorably to that of former NUP President, Comrade Alhaji Ali Abatcha, who he said had a “very peaceful reign” that earned him a national merit award.
