Govt Should Have Put Palliatives In Place Before Removing Subsidy – Pensioners

As the hardship cross the country worsens, the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has berated the Federal Government for failing to put palliatives in place before removing the subsidy on petrol.

National President of the NUP, Comrade Godwin Abumisi while addressing newsmen on Monday in Abuja, noted that such a move would have helped Nigerians to be better prepared for the difficult times the massive increase in goods and services have thrown at them.

Abumisi who urged government not to forget the pensioners in it’s “planned palliative package, however noted that given the corruption associated with fuel subsidy, it’s removal was in the good interest of Nigerians.

He said: “In removing it, government appeared to have put the cart before the horse. What they should have done is to put the palliatives in place to ensure the workers, the poor and the pensioners are put in a better position to absorb the shocks before the fuel subsidy is removed.

“But it appeared that they were in a hurry; they removed the subsidy before thinking about the palliatives and that is why Nigerians are crying.

“But the principle of removing the subsidy is well thought out. That subsidy should go so that Nigerians can have a good country. Pensioners must be included in the planned palliatives package, being one of the low-income earners in the country.

“There is no gainsaying that the removal of the fuel subsidy has further impoverished and pauperized the vulnerable Nigeria pensioners like other vulnerable group of persons in our society who are always struggling and battling for survival.”

While stating that each of it’s state councils have the number of pensioners in their respective registers, NUP gave some recommendations to government at all levels to ensure everyone was carried along in disbursement of the palliatives.

“It is on record that the poorest of the poor in Nigeria today are resident in our rural communities where many families are not sure of a square meal in a day. It is also on record that there is no rural community in Nigeria, being it ward, village or hamlet that you cannot find pensioners/retirees who are struggling daily with poverty and hunger, alongside the rural populace, due to low pension earnings or non-payment of their monthly pension or pending gratuity, and in most cases, backlog of arrears of their pensions.

“Given the above scenario and for equitable reasons, if the Federal Government wishes to achieve its objective of the cash transfer to the poor, using the much touted social registers, it must consider the involvement and participation of those organized Unions/Associations that have the records/statistics (data base) of their members resident in both urban and rural areas, most especially the Pensioners’ Union (NUP), Market Women Organizations, the Physically Challenged Persons and other Professional Bodies.

“The leaders of the Unions/Bodies who are very visible could be easily held responsible and accountable in the event of any infractions or shortchanging of their members in accessing such funds.

“Pensioners across board must also be considered for the proposed six months tax-free payment to public servants for 6 months as well as the payment of all outstanding liabilities to public/civil servants. The Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS) pensioners under PTAD are being owed various pension liabilities, including the 2015 pension increment which the Union has been consistently pressing for its payment but to no avail.

“Also worth of mentioning is the pending liabilities of our members under the Contributory (Mandatory) Pension Scheme who are been short-changed of the 15% of the 2007 pension review, 33% of the 2010 pension review, omission of 2015 pension review and the consequential adjustment of 2019. We believe whole-heartedly that if the above pension reviews are paid to our members as part of the proposed palliatives, it will go a long way to ameliorate the living conditions of our members who will have cause to smile once again to the credit of the Tinubu-led Federal Government.

“The Union also wishes to request the Federal Government that whenever there is an upward review of salaries of the Civil Servants under whatever guise, pensions should be reviewed alongside with it and to be captured in the same circular, as a departure from the prevailing practice where such circulars are issued separately at different times, leaving the pensioners struggling to obtain their own circular for the corresponding payment.

“We also call on the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress to always carry NUP along in the negotiation for any salary review, as against the current practice whereby pensioners are always left on their own to slug it out with the Federal/State Governments after the workers might have been paid several years after.”