Pensioners deserve better

Unlike other countries around the world, Nigeria’s retired civil servants become entangled with imbroglios and a vale of tears during their retirement owing to non-payment of their pension and gratuity. Some of these bedridden and paralysed grey-haired pensioners have breathed their last on account of the way Nigeria’s three tiers of government treated them. The […]

Unlike other countries around the world, Nigeria’s retired civil servants become entangled with imbroglios and a vale of tears during their retirement owing to non-payment of their pension and gratuity. Some of these bedridden and paralysed grey-haired pensioners have breathed their last on account of the way Nigeria’s three tiers of government treated them.

The diligence and commitment of Nigeria’s chronically ill pensioners, who dedicated their tender age to serving their nation, shouldn’t be repaid with ingratitude. It disheartens every empathetic soul to see how these retirees are being treated. Some of them lose their lives due to lack of funds for managing illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, asthma, stroke, heart-attack and others.

Many pensioners are currently living under horrible conditions. Pitiably, Nigeria’s pensioners are among the hardest hit by the consequences of the country’s wave of inflationary tsunami bred by the Russia-Ukraine war among other issues. In the current formidable hyperinflation, mercy should be shown to Nigeria’s retirees.

With the 2023 general elections around the corner, Nigeria’s pensioners and their entire families shouldn’t sell their votes to parochial and egoistical politicians. It will indeed be a very good idea for them to do their utmost and throw their weight behind gubernatorial and presidential candidates who are kind-hearted.

Even the president of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Mr. Godwin Adumisi, recently called on pensioners and their clans not to vote for any presidential or gubernatorial candidate who is not committed to their plights in the forthcoming general elections.

In July, the House of Representatives committee on Public Accounts commenced a probe of the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) and non-payment of the federal civil service retirees’ their benefits. I hope something positive will come out of it to improve the welfare of pensioners.

Nigeria’s governors should put themselves in the pensioners’ shoes for a moment; perhaps, they would understand their situation and empathize with them.

The Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) and the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), established by the Pension Report Act 2014 (PRA) as amended, is a ray of hope for Nigeria’s pensioners as it is regarded as the most transparent pension scheme since the country was granted independence on October 1, 1960.

I am happy with the collaboration between the EFCC and PenCom. It is indeed very good that these two agencies are working together to secure trillions of pension funds and cut down fraud in the system.

There are 26 state governments that have reportedly enacted laws to join the CPS across the country. Only 15 states out of that figure are in alignment with the CPS. According to PenCom’s latest report, titled “Status of implementation of the CPS by states and the FCT for the first quarter 2022”, only four states and the FCT have commenced the payment of pensions to employees under the CPS. The states are Lagos, Delta, Kaduna, Osun and the FCT.

Nigeria’s governors should ensure that pensioners are paid their entitlements without delay.

 

Mustapha Baba Azare sent in this piece from Bauchi State and can be reached at: [email protected]