Some retirees receive N500 monthly pension – Union

The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), on Sunday, said some retirees are still receiving N500 as a monthly pension in the country.

Alhassan Musa, the Secretary of the union in Kaduna State, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), described the condition of the returnees as “pathetic”.

He said that most of the affected retirees were in precarious conditions, adding that, “they sacrificed their lives and services for the nation.

“The worst affected are pensioners in most of the Southern and oil producing states in spite of getting fat allocations from the federation account.

“The condition of pensioners in some Northern states and the FCT are far better, as some of them received between N3,500 and N18,000 monthly pension”.

Musa, who is also the NUP scribe in charge of the 19 Northern states and the North-West, however, said that only retirees in Kaduna State were earning N30,000 minimum pension monthly.

The secretary recalled that the Kaduna state government in 2020 implemented N30,000 minimum pension during the administration of Gov. Nasir El-Rufa’i.

He, therefore, advocated for a 50 per cent upward review of the minimum pension, to improve the social and economic wellbeing of the retirees.

This, he said, is necessary considering the socio-economic realities in the country.

“The union proposed a 50 per cent increment even under the defunct N30,000 national minimum wage.

“We are anticipating that the 50 per cent increment would be approved in line with the new N70,000 national minimum wage.

*Even under the Federal Government, some pensioners are receiving N10,000 minimum pension.

“We are hoping that the federal government will balance it up so that no pensioner will receive less than N70,000 as his/her monthly pension.

“Let pensioners also enjoy the same benefits the workers are enjoying.

“If a worker is receiving N70,000 minimum salary, so, let the pensioner enjoy the same,” he said, adding that the monthly minimum pension should be at par with the new national minimum wage.

Musa also urged Gov. Uba Sani to emulate El-Rufa’i by being the first governor to implement the N70,000 minimum pension.

He added that workers who retired under the contributory pension system were facing formidable challenges.