NUP Urges Amendment of Pension Reform Act 2004

As part of this year’s Pensioners Day Celebration, the National President of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Alhaji Ali Abatcha has appealed to federal and state authorities to consider the need for an amendment to the Pension Reform Act 2004.

Alhaji  Abatcha stated that under the contributory pension scheme, individual retirees deal directly with the pension administrators and custodians, stressing that the act does not provide for the pensioners’ union as a critical stakeholder nor check-off dues considered the livewire of the union.

He added that the contributory pension scheme is not immuned from challenges, noting that in such a situation, it is only the union that can rise up to fight for the right of the retirees and protect their interest.

The union’s president said it is this reason that it becomes imperative to amend the pension reform act to accommodate the union and check-off dues.

He further stated that this year’s pensioner’s day is the 10th edition of the National Pensioners Day, a brain child of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) championed by the former NLC president, Comrade Adams Oshiomole to express solidarity with the pensioners’.

Alhaji Abatcha lamented the plight of pensioners in Nigeria, noting that they were being subjected to all kinds of hardship as a result of endless and fruitless verification exercises that do not translate to improvement in their pension payment.

He said the verifications have always led to pauperisation and impoverishment of pensioners through irregularities in pension payment such as unnecessary delay, in the payment of monthly pension, short/underpayment, omission of names of pensioners from payroll among others.

According to him, the most pathetic and touching is the plight of the 2007 retirees who have neither been accommodated by the Pay-As-You-Go system nor the contributory pension scheme, adding that many of them have passed away without enjoying the fruits of their labour.

The president said the union will not relent until the National Minimum Pension for Pensioners, were upwardly reviewed in line with the provisions of sections 173 (3) and 310 (3) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which unambiguously states that “pensions shall be reviewed every five years or whenever there is salary review for workers there should be corresponding increase for the pensioners”.

He added that with the approval of the National Minimum Wage there should be a corresponding approval for the National Minimum Pension in order to implement the constitutional provisions.

Philip Okparaji