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The National Union of Pensioners (NUP) has called on the federal government to address the economic situation facing retirees; in Nigeria.
The president of the National Union of Pensioners (NUP), Godwin Abumisi made the call in a recent press briefing held in Abuja on Thursday.
Abumisi highlighted the widespread hardships experienced by many union members amidst the country's economic downturn.
Expressing dismay at the current state of affairs, Abumisi criticized the government's apparent neglect of the less privileged. "In Nigeria, the government does not think about the poor people," he noted, citing instances where pensioners in Enugu receive as little as N450 monthly. "We have been saying this, but it seems as if we are crying wolf, but it is a reality," Abumisi emphasized.
The NUP president emphasized the prevalence of extremely low pension payments ranging from N450 to N1,000, particularly in the South-Eastern states. He attributed this disparity to the lack of pension, a longstanding issue that the union has consistently advocated to address.
Furthermore, Abumisi highlighted the failure of many state governments to implement the reviewed minimum wage of N18,000 in 2010 and N30,000 in 2019, which has further exacerbated the situation. Consequently, pension increases corresponding to these wage reviews have not been realized in the affected states.
In 2023, the Federal Government expressed its intention to address the issue by considering an increase in retirees' pensions. This initiative was revealed in a report on pension harmonization submitted to the Federal Government by the National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission (NSIWC).
During a meeting with the executive committee of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (All Sectoral Units/Parastatals) Nationwide, the NSIWC assured the union of its commitment to pursuing the recommendations outlined in the report, signaling a potential ray of hope for retirees across the nation.
