NUP decries nonpayment of gratuities in North East

From Ahmad Mohammedi, Bauchi

The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has decried the nonpayment of gratuities to its members in the North Eastern states of Bauchi, Gombe, Taraba and Adamawa states by the states governments.
The Union in a press statement signed by its National Vice President North East Zone, Alhaji Inuwa Ahmad and issued to Journalists yesterday in Bauchi decried that pensioners in the states suffer from untold hardship ‘and many of them have died without earning their respective severances.”
“In view of this issue, we are calling on our pensioners to vote for the government that will favour their demands and not to vote for those that are not listening or settling their entitlements”. He urged members.
The NUP Vice President also called for the implementation of the national minimum pension as N30, 000 alongside the recent agreement reached by tripartite committee opining that whatever is finally approved as the national minimum wage should equally apply to pensioners as national minimum pension.
“ Our request is in line with the provision of sections 173 (3) and 210 (3) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) which clearly states that “ Pensions should be reviewed every five years or together with any federal Civil service salary review whichever is earlier, “ he noted.
While appreciating the effort of the federal government on behalf of pensioners in the north east for the release of N22.4 billion to settle pension funds of the Nigerian airways staff, Ahmad appealed to the federal government through pension transitional arrangement directorate (PTAD) to settle the long awaited balance of 12 months arrears of 33 per cent pension increase of 2010.