By Dada Ahmed in Lokoja.
Retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) are voicing their dismay over being excluded from the N32,000 monthly pension increase approved by the federal government as part of the National Minimum Wage Amendment Act of 2024.
Ekpo Nwa, Chairman/CEO of the National Salaries and Wages Commission, confirmed the increase for retirees under the Defined Benefits Scheme (DBS). However, CPS retirees feel overlooked and have expressed their concerns in a letter addressed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on September 30, 2024, through the Nigeria Union Pensioners, Contributory Pension Scheme Sector.
The letter, titled “Re: Consequential Adjustment in Pensions Arising from the Implementation of the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act, 2024,” was signed by Comrade Sylva C. Nwaiwu, National Chairman, and Comrade Bisan John, Secretary of the Central Action Committee.
In the letter, a copy of which was made available to The Reporters on Saturday, an online publication, through the WhatsApp social platform of NUP/CPS,the union emphasized the exclusion of CPS pensioners from the approved increase.
It cited the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission’s (NSIWC) circular as a basis for their complaint.
The union recalled a previous communication of May 3, 2024, which identified CPS retirees as entitled to wage/pension increments but noted ongoing discrimination against them in NSIWC circulars.
The letter further detailed the establishment of a government committee to address outstanding liabilities in the CPS, led by former Head of the Civil Service, Dr. Yemi Folashade Esan.
The union said that while the committee’s report was welcomed, the recent NSIWC circular has left CPS retirees feeling demoralized and has prompted them to consider protests, if their situation remains unaddressed by October 15, 2024.
It urged President Tinubu to take immediate executive action to resolve the issue and prevent a potential public outcry from a marginalized class of pensioners that have contributed significantly to the building of Nigeria.
NUP/CPS, therefore, pleaded with the government to rectify the oversight, emphasizing that allowing the situation to persist would reflect poorly on the administration.
