Nigerian Union Of Pensioners Jigawa Chapter, Decry Payment Of N3,000 As Monthly Pension, Call For Review

Umar Akilu Majeri

The Nigerian Union of Pensioners Jigawa Chapter has decried the continuous payment of N3,000 as a monthly pension to some of its members describing it as a total disgrace to the nation despite the implementation of N30,000 Naira as minimum wage in the country to all civil servants.

 

The chairman of the coalition of 19 Northern states and Abuja branch chairmen of NUPE Comrade Abdullahi Tsoho Garba made the lamentation, in an exclusive interview with our reporter in Dutse, Jigawa state last week.

 

He said the failure of the federal, state, and local government to review the pension scale according to the new minimum wage made its members be underpaid which consequently throw them into abject of serious poverty and untold hardship.

 

The chairman then called for the immediate review of the pension scale as stipulated in section 173 sub-sections 3 of the Nigerian constitution to ease the hardship face by pensioners across the country.

 

Comrade Abdullahi also declared that the policy of some state government in which they pay a pension to retirees in percentage as illegal and unconstitutional, he, therefore, called for an immediate review of the policy to assist the pensioners.

 

However, the Union urged federal, state government, and private companies with a long backlog of retiree’s entitlement to clear it without further delay or face legal action.

 

He said the union will not continue watching its members to dying die in agony, hunger, and frustration.

 

The Union vowed to use all necessary avenues to fight for the right of its members at all coast, he

also reminded them that the country leaders, head of a public and private organization that, they are also prospective pensioners as he, therefore, cautioned them from infringing on retirees right and entitlements.