Pensioners Demand Payment Of 29 Months Arrears

The Nigerian Union of
Pensioner (NUP) has demanded the immediate payment of the remaining 29 months arrears out of the 38 months arrears owed its members of which only nine months arrears had been paid.
In a joint statement, the union’s president, Comrade Abel Afolayan and secretary general, Comrade Actor Zal in Abuja on Wednesday said part of the payment of the nine months has put smiles on the faces of the union members across the country.
The payment according to the union has demonstrated the commitment of the Federal Government to the welfare and well-being of the pensioners.
The union said the arrears is from July 2010 to September 2014 and urged the federal government to honour its pledge to the union of capturing the remaining balance of the arrears in the 2015 budget for payment, stressing that the union remain indebted to the federal government if the balance of the arrears is paid as soon as the 2015 budget is passed.
The union called on the federal government to work out the percentage balance of 2014 pension increase of 53.4 percent officially approved by the government with a view to capturing it in the 2015 budget or in the subsequent budget for payment.
The statement advised the government to place pension on first line charge as obtained in other countries and as a mark of respect for the pensioners.
The union also appealed to the government to intensify efforts in the handling of the security situation in the North-Eastern part of the country with a view to bringing it under control and restore the economy of North Eastern states and stoppage of the senseless killings.