Pensioners threaten to sue Ekiti govt over unpaid pensions, gratuities

• Urge govt to declare emergency on pension matters
• South-West retirees lament backlog of entitlements
• Ask govs to implement increment approved by FG

The Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP), Ekiti State chapter, has threatened to approach the court to compel the state governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, to pay their outstanding benefits before the expiration of his tenure in October.

The NUP Chairman, Joel Akinola, while addressing journalists at a press conference in Ado-Ekiti, yesterday, said that as the outgoing government announced plans for payment of entitlements of all sacked political aides, the backlog of emoluments of the pensioners should be prioritised in good time.

He added that it sounds incredible that the government was owing N37.5 billion gratuity arrears of retirees, saying the N100 million being released monthly to defray the backlog should be jacked up to N500 million to accommodate their needs.

Akinola revealed that an aggregate of 587 pensioners are either dead or bedridden owing to infirmity suffered as a result of the inability to get the required treatment for their ailments.

The chairman, who raised concern over-enthusiasm displayed by the government to pay the severance packages of Fayemi’s sacked aides, urged the governor to pay their benefits alongside in the spirit of equity, justice and fair-play.

Akinola said the union had put its lawyers on notice over the alleged shabby treatment being meted out to them and that they might resort to litigation if their issues were not resolved expeditiously.

SIMILARLY, the South-West Zone of the NUP has lamented the backlog of pensions and gratuities owed its members by governors of the zone, saying that most of the state governments have no regard for pensioners.

The pensioners, who lamented, yesterday, during the body’s zonal meeting in Lagos State, decried the attitude of governors not yielding to their plight.

Chairman, South-West zone of the union, Waheed Oloyede, pleaded with state governors to pay pensioners regularly as and when due.

He also urged the governors to increase pensions paid in their various states, noting that some pensioners are still receiving as low as N5,000 a month.

He lamented that pensioners go through a lot of challenges, noting that the fact that their plights are not heard causes them a lot of damages.

Also, the Public Relations Officer, South-West zone of the NUP, Olusegun Abatan, lamented that there has not been substantial development from the zone’s last report on how the state governments have been addressing the plight of pensioners, saying that out of the South-West states, only Ogun State government has set up a committee to address the consequential adjustment on pension, as well as a committee to address the issues of pensioners under the contributory pension scheme.

Vice Chairman, NUP, Lagos State Council, Aderemi Titus, urged political leaders to have a heart to serve the people, noting that every individual will reap the fruits of their deeds.