PHCN pensioners in Kano petition FG over non-payment of pensions

Some pensioners of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) in Kano have petitioned the Federal Government over the non-payment of their four years pensions.

The petition was signed by Mr Ibrahim Abdullahi, the state Chairman, Nigerian Union of Pensioners in Kano on Saturday.

It stated that the pensioners had been suffering for over four years due to non-payment of their pensions, outstanding claims of 50 per cent bulk rent, among others.

“In 2012 after the privatisation of PHCN, all our outstanding arrears and subsequent payments of our monthly pensions were transferred to Nigeria Electricity Liability Management Company (NELMCO).

“We only enjoyed smooth payments of our pension for a period of one year after the management of NELMCO plundered us into untold and continuous hardship,’’ it stated.

The petition also stated that the subsequent monthly payment became epileptic as the pensioners did not receive their pension for January and February 2014 until the middle of March.

It stated that April and May were paid in the middle of July, while that of June and July 2014 were paid in October 2014.

The petition stated most of their pensioners had not been harmonised and those harmonised were yet to be paid arrears, gratuity and death benefits.

“The arrears of electricity rebate for over 49 months are still outstanding as NELMCO and Pension Transitional Arrangement Department (PTAD) have continued to under pay us our monthly electricity rebate.

“This is despite its upward review in 2012,’’ it stated.

It stated that NELMCO had refused to settle the arrears with N16 billion released by the Federal Government in 2014.

“Up till January 2015, when NELMCO transferred our payment to PTAD, NELMCO has not paid us and has not accounted for the N16 billion.’’

It appealed to the Federal Government to investigate the issue to alleviating the hardship of the pensioners.