Connect with us

Business

Union Urges FG To Create Ministry Of Pension Affairs

Published

11 years ago

on

The Nigeria Union of Pen
sioners (NUP), has urged the Federal Government to create Ministry of Pension Affairs to handle and resolve challenges facing pensioners in the country.
The President of the Union, Dr Abel Afolayan, made the call at an event to commemorate the 2014 National Pensioners’ Day at the Labour House, Abuja.
Afolayan, who was represented by Dr Musa Ayuba, the Deputy National President of the union, said pensioners deserved to have a ministry that would work strictly on issues that affected them.
He said “there should be a Ministry of Pension Affairs with a minister who should be a pensioner and should be a respected and honourable person.”
The union boss said mismanagement and abuse of office had been affecting pension administration in the country, adding that such mismanagement should be investigated and the culprits brought to book.
He said “the media had published the pathetic stories of ghost pensioners and the billions of naira that went into illegal hands and the culprits were never brought to book.”
The pensioners’ president said Nigeria could join the MADRID International Plan of Action for the Aging by providing assistance to the elderly, the aged and senior citizens to guide against homelessness.
He said the establishment of Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) had assisted the union in resolving immediate pressing problems of pensioners in the country.
According to him, there are more than 60,000 complaint forms submitted, more than 10,000 have been positively treated but that some problems need urgent government attention.
Afolayan then commended the Federal Government for the upward review of pension in the country.
He said that Section 173 of the 1999 Constitution recommended that “pension shall be reviewed every five years or together with any Federal Civil Service review,” adding, however, that “this had been denied the pensioners in a long while.”
He expressed concern that there were thousands of genuine pensioners who had not accessed their monthly pension since the introduction of e-payment in May 2009 till date.
He added that there were pensioners who were geometrically enrolled in June 2010 but issued with dud cheque.
Many pensioners who were paid in June 2010 during verification exercise were yet to be paid their July, August and September pensions.
He, however, said they had received their pension for October, November and December of the same year.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Business

NPA Assures On Staff Welfare 

Published

2 weeks ago

on

June 27, 2025

By

The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has said the management will continue to accompany its port infrastructure  and equipment  modernization drive  with the development of the welfare of its personnel.
Dantsoho made the disclosure recently while responding to the commendation by the Maritime Workers Union (MWUN) and the senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies (SSASGOC) on the  clearing  of the age-long problem of employee stagnation, when the union paid him a courtesy visit at the Authority’s headquarters in Lagos.
A Statement by NPA’s General Manager Corporate & Strategic Communications, Mr. Ikechukwu Onyemekara, quoted Dantsoho as saying,  “our Port infrastructure and equipment modernization drive will go hand-in-hand with continuous staff welfare improvement”.
The NPA MD disclosed that human capital development constitutes the key strategy for creating and sustaining superior performance under his watch, adding that “talent development constitutes a critical success factor for the actualization of the big hairy audacious goals we have set for ourselves especially in the area of Port competitiveness.
“The only way we can meet and indeed exceed stakeholders’ expectations is to deepen the competencies of our human resources assets and boosting their morale.”
Speaking further, Dantsoho commended the Honourable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, for approving the strategic proposal of the Dantsoho-led Management team that solved the over a decade-long problem of lack of promotion that had fuelled industrial disharmony.
“I must specially appreciate our amiable Minister for graciously approving the multi-pronged stratagem we deployed that cleared all outstanding cases of employee stagnation by conducting examinations in one fell swoop and instituted timelines to forestall a recurrence of such anomaly”, he sad.
Speaking on behalf of the joint maritime labour unions, the President  of Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations & Government-Owned Companies (SSASCGOC), Comrade Bodunde stated, “In addition to clearance of the backlog of stagnated promotions, we also wish to express our appreciation for the increase in productivity bonuses, provision of end-of-year welfare packages for staff, and the revision of the Financial Guide to the Condition of Service, which now addresses our members’ concerns about inflationary pressures.”
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
Continue Reading

Business

ANLCA Chieftain Emerges FELCBA’s VP

Published

2 weeks ago

on

June 27, 2025

By

National Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Elder Olumide Fakanlu, has been elected Vice President of the Federation of ECOWAS Licensed Customs Brokers Association (FELCBA).
The election took place during the FELCBA Congress, held from Tuesday, June 17th to Thursday, June 19th, 2025, in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Fakanlu’s emergence as Vice President marks a significant achievement for Nigeria within the regional customs brokerage community.
Apart from Fakanlu, Secretary of the Seme Chapter of ANLCA, Austin Nwosu, was also elected, securing the role of Secretary of Relations with Institutions.
The Nigerian delegation played an active role in the congress, with Michael Ebeatu nominated as a member of the electoral officer team, ensuring a fair and transparent election process.
The three-day congress concluded with delegates undertaking a visit to the Sierra Leone Port, offering insights into the host nation’s maritime operations, followed by a recreational trip to the Tokeh Beach.
The newly elected executives are expected to lead FELCBA in its efforts to harmonize customs brokerage practices, promote trade facilitation, and advocate for the interests of licensed customs brokers across the ECOWAS sub-region.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
Continue Reading

Business

NSC, Police Boost Partnership On Port Enforcement 

Published

2 weeks ago

on

June 27, 2025

By

In a bid to enhance more enforcement in the nation’s Port, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has reaffirmed its commitment to stronger inter-agency collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The Council said the collaboration is aimed at enhancing stronger enforcement, compliance and improve operational efficiency across Nigeria’s ports.
Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of  NSC, Dr. Pius Akutah, made this known during a visit to the  Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The visit, which he said, focused on strengthening institutional synergy, comes in the wake of growing responsibilities for the NSC under the newly created Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
Akutah emphasized the critical role of security agencies in supporting port operations and ensuring regulatory compliance.
He called for the posting of police officers to assist the Council’s monitoring and enforcement teams at key port locations including Lagos, Warri, Onne, Port Harcourt, and Calabar.
“The posting will complement the activities of our revived task teams and enhance our ability to enforce standards across the maritime logistics chain”, he said.
Earlier, the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Egbetokun, assured the Council of the Force’s readiness to continue supporting the growth of the maritime sector.
The IGP acknowledged that compliance enforcement is essential to the successful implementation of Nigeria’s Blue Economy objectives.
“The NSC and NPF are expected to deepen collaboration in the months ahead, with a shared focus on building a secure, efficient, and competitive port environment”, to the IGP emphasized.
Chinedu Wosu
Continue Reading

Trending