Pressure mounts on pensioners to shelve strike over ‘minimum pension’

Hours before the Nigerian Union of Pensioners begins a nationwide strike to protest delays to “minimum pension”, two different groups have called for senior citizens to shelve the planned strike.

The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) in a statement urged pensions to shelve the strike, saying there was “no justification” for the protest as the payment of the consequential adjustment to pension will begin in May, 2021.

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The statement indicated that the Directorate held a meeting with the National Executives of the NUP led by Dr. Abel Afolayan on the 16th March, 2021 where the issue of the implementation of the pension adjustment was discussed and the Union gave their understanding.

PTAD said that at the meeting, the Directorate told the NUP that the implementation was most likely to commence at the end of April, 2021 going by the submissions that had been made by all stakeholders, there had been a delay due to unforeseen circumstances.

“Our Senior Citizens have nothing to fear because we have a President that has demonstrated greater commitment to the welfare of our Pensioners through PTAD more than any other President we have had in the past. Therefore, the issue of implementation will not be different. The matter is very important to the President,” PTAD said.

No protest

The Federal Parastatals and Private Sector Pensioners Association of Nigeria (FEPPPAN), asked its members across the country not to participate in any form of protest that has to do with implementation of ‘minimum pension’.

FEPPPAN, in a statement signed by its President, Temple Ubani, directed its members not to join the protest, saying its National Administrative Council (NAC) had engaged government on the matter and it was given a satisfactory response.

Ubani said, “Federal Government was at the final stages of approving, issuance of circular and implementation of the negotiated adjustments for pensioners.

“Consequent upon the signing of the Minimum Wage Act by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 and the implementation of the law for the active workers of the Federal Government of Nigeria, FEPPPAN and other sister pension unions have been variously prevailing on government to implement the Pensioners component of the law in accordance with the Constitution of Nigeria 1999 as Amended.”

The union leader also called on President Buhari, to speedily intervene and ensure that pensions adjustment for Pensioners be implemented without further delays to forestall imminent embarrassing actions by the senior citizens.