By Dada Ahmed in Lokoja.
(C) Phoenix.
Retirees in the public sector, especially those under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), living in Lokoja, Kogi state, North Central Nigeria, have passionately appealed to the Senate to approve the N758 billion bond to settle their outstanding pension arrears dating back to 2007.
The retirees made their plea in separate interviews with The Reporters in Lokoja on Thursday, lamenting the dire economic situation and the inadequacy of their monthly stipends under the CPS.
Alhaji Salihu Abdullahi, a retiree from a federal government-owned educational institution in Kogi State, who left service seven years ago, described his monthly pension of N60,000 as “a peanut” that barely sustains his family of five.
“The money hardly lasts before the middle of the month. We are suffering in silence,” he lamented.
Another retiree, Mr. Michael Alabi, echoed the same concern, stressing the urgent need for the Senate’s intervention to approve the bond.
“Honestly, I am not lying. Life under the CPS is extremely difficult. Those of us who retired five to ten years ago are struggling to survive. Our monthly pension cannot meet basic needs,” he also lamented.
He urged the federal lawmakers to consider the plight of thousands of pensioners whose livelihoods depend on this long-awaited bond.
“We urgently need the Senate’s approval of the N758 billion to ease the financial burden crushing us daily. We are only asking to survive on the barest minimum,” he pleaded.
Adding his voice to the issue in a statement signed and made available to The Reporters from Akure, His Royal Highness, the Olu of Igbeji Land, Akure, Oba Omolade Morayo, also urged the Senate to approve the N758 billion bond, warning that any further delay would worsen the hardship faced by retirees who had dedicated their productive years to the service of the nation.
The monarch also called on the Federal Government to urgently revisit and amend the existing pension law under the Contributory Pension Scheme to ensure it is fair and responsive to the welfare needs of retired federal workers.
According to him, the current legal framework no longer reflects the harsh socio-economic realities in Nigeria.
“It must be amended in the interest of retirees who earn meagre pensions,” he stressed.
“Imagine a retired federal worker who left service on Grade Level 16 receiving only N60,000 monthly. What exactly does the government expect such a person to do with that amount in today’s Nigeria?” the traditional ruler queried.
He added that the soaring cost of living, high inflation, and inadequate healthcare make it nearly impossible for many pensioners to survive,let alone live with dignity.
“The new pension scheme has been overtaken by the country’s current social and economic situation,” he emphasized.
The Reporters recalls that while speaking at the conference of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners Contributory Pension Scheme Sector (NUPCPS) in Abuja, the National Chairman, Sylva Nwaiwu, commended President Bola Tinubu for the approval of the N758 billion treasury bond by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in February.
He said the bond was to settle outstanding liabilities, including those of retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).
“The leadership of this union believes that the bond approval is a necessary fiscal decision to settle outstanding government liabilities to CPS retirees.
“It is also a demonstration of humanity, fiscal responsibility and moral obligation by the president, which should be commended and collaborated by the Senate.
“It has become imperative for us to draw the attention of the federal government to this and appeal for an early implementation of the bond for the payments of CPS retirees,” Nwaiwu said.
“When that is done, we shall organise a mega solidarity party to celebrate the President’s administration, which will hold across the country,” he assured.
The chairman lamented that while many retirees had celebrated the presidential approval, some had died waiting for the bond to be implemented.
Contributing, Senator George Akume, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), described Tinubu’s administration’s commitment to pension issues as “a demonstration of humanity, fiscal responsibility and moral obligation”.
Akume, who was represented at the occasion by Nadungu Gagare, Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs Office of the SGF, said the administration remains committed to the welfare of Nigerians, including senior citizens.
“Pensioners are not to be pitied; they are to be honoured. They are not liabilities; they are legacies,” he stressed.
