Pensioners Protest Non-Payment Of Arrears

The members of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Rivers State council, despite their ages and frail nature, took to the streets of Port Harcourt last Wednesday to protest the non-payment of their outstanding pension arrears by the State Government.

The peaceful protest took off from the union secretariat, No 10 Aba Road to Government House  – State Secretariat  and State House of Assembly.

Speaking to The Tide, the union’s State Chairman and Secretary respectively, Comrades Festus Abibo and James Agbo alleged that the State Government had failed to pay pensioners their entitlements of 6 per cent and 15 per cent pension arrears since 2003.

The union leaders said the government had failed to comply with the recommendations of the committee set up by the State Government on the pension arrears payment.

Comrade Agbo said other States within the Niger Delta region such as Edo, Bayelsa, Delta among other states had paid the outstanding pension arrears to their pensioners.

The union officials said the State Government should comply with the constitutional provision as stated in section 173 (3)  of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

The provision of section 173 (3)  of the Constitution states that a pension shall be reviewed every five years or together with any Federal Civil Service salary reviews which ever is ealier.”

The union leaders argued that the State Government having increased salaries of the civil servants in line with the implementation of the new minimum wage, pensioners in the State like their counterparts within the Niger Delta region should equally benefit from the payment of their pension arrears.

The union also urged the State Government to pay primary school teachers all their pension arrears.

The union leaders alleged that all States in the federation except Rivers State had failed to pay primary school retirees their pension entitlements.

They stated that the responsibility of the primary school teachers’ pension was now with the state government, stressing that the government should ensure that these primary school teachers were paid their pension entitlements.

The union leaders pledged the support of the union to the State Government while urging the government to consider their plights and pay them their pension entitlements.

Philip Okparaji