On NNN Ltd pensioners
The retrenchment exercise in New Nigerian Newspapers has come and gone, but the dust left in its wake is yet to settle since January, 7, 2000. The whole promises made by the previous administrations are either at a standstill or in slow motion, therefore, putting the pensioners between the rock and the hard place. Due […]
The retrenchment exercise in New Nigerian Newspapers has come and gone, but the dust left in its wake is yet to settle since January, 7, 2000. The whole promises made by the previous administrations are either at a standstill or in slow motion, therefore, putting the pensioners between the rock and the hard place. Due to this inconveniences our children cannot get standard education, good healthcare and good food. These are the challenges facing us; therefore, we would like to urge the President to kindly come to our aid. Our economic and social activities have been paralyzed by the hardship inflicted on us.
This neglect is wicked, deplorable and inhuman. I hope the Federal Government’s Programme of Poverty Eradication Programme (PEAP) will not turn to Poverty Creation Programme (PCP) to the pensioners, because I am among over 300 batch of pensioners retired since January 2000 and it is disturbing that our retirement benefits and entitlements have not been paid, let alone our pensions that should have commenced from the date of retirement.
My personal advice to Mr. President is that since political campaigns have gone, it is now time for him to fulfill the many political promises made to the citizens of this country.
We have written series of letters, but up till now no respite. Our appeal to former President Olusegun Obasanjo through the then governor of Kaduna State, Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, yielded no result. In fact, we don’t know the offence we have committed that will warrant the Federal Government to block ears and turn blind eyes to our plights.
Is it a crime to serve one’s fatherland in his or her youthful years? If the answer is yes, then we beg to be forgiven and be paid our entitlements in the nearest possible time. If the answer is no, why has the government not deemed it fit to pay us our entitlement since 2000? Or do we continue to suffer until the government arrives at a particular formula for payment? Or why is it that the Federal Government finds it difficult to compensate us for the work we have done? Over 204 of us have lost their lives leaving their children to suffer and many others are just moving about the streets hopelessly.
The long period of non- payment of our due is completely barbaric, uncivilized and unacceptable because we are almost at the end of our tethers.
Abdullahi Abubakar writes from, Abuja