By Nana Musa
The Nigeria Union of Pensioners Contributory Pension Scheme Sector (NUPCPS), says if their conditions are not resolved Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) will be their new homes.
The National Chairman of the Union, Mr Sylva Nwaiwu, said this during a peaceful protest by the union to the OAGF in Abuja on Wednesday.
He urged the Federal Government (FG) to release the funds for the payments of the accrued rights and the payments of pension increments to pensioners of this sector.
“We have just submitted our letter to the accountant general of the federation.
”If our conditions are not reached, our next line of action is to turn the whole of this premises to our residence until accountant general releases funds for the payment of entitlements,” the national chairman said.
Nwaiwu, said the Pension Reformed Act states that people entitled to pension increment are those entitled to accrued rights as at 2004 before the commencement of the Contributory Pension Scheme(CPS).
He decried the inability of the union and its members to get the audience of the present accountant general.
“She will always direct her directors, they have a limit to what they can do and say, she is not the type of person to see you one on one.
“Even as we speak, she is not in the country and she is here to serve the public, so this is the problem we are having,” he said.
The union’s National Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr Etheleert Ibeh ,urged the government to pay them all they are owing as increment.
According to him, the Nigerian constitution stipulates that anytime there is increase in salary of workers pensioners must be given something to cushion them.
“The increment approved by the president for all retirees is N32, 000 every month.
“That is to say, if I am receiving N40,000 a month as stipend and you add the N32,000, the sum is what I should now be receiving but the authorities meant to do this have denied us of this.
“I contributed to help government to pay me when I retire since 2016, yet I have not received any increment.
”After working hard, if I knew I would suffer like this, I would not have given them the service I gave them,” he said.
According to Ibeh, the most annoying part is that colleagues in the other part of pension industry Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), are being settled and treated well.
Mrs Christiana Ubthata pensioner, said that she retired in 2015 from the budget office of the federation, and could no longer feed myself. ” See how my face is, it is hunger.”
She complained that for six months her pension had not been paid by African Alliance, saying that the government needs to come to our aid.
“Amongst us here are people that retired since march last year and have not been paid a kobo. Look at how harsh the economy is because of our leaders.
“We do not have anything to live on now, every year they will tell us in the media that pension fund asset has increased, so why are pensioners not paid.
“We have a constitution in the country that every five years salaries will increase and pension will increase too. We want this reflected,” Ubah said.
Meanwhile, the Director Audit Monitoring in the OAGF, Mr Chizea Peter, received the letter of the Union, on behalf of the Account General of the Federation.
He said that the Office would do everything within their power to make sure that their (pensioners) demands were reached.
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