NUP Berates Contributory Pensions Implementation

Pensioners in the country have decried the poor performance of the contributory pension scheme, saying that the project is now at a confused state.
This was the view of the Rivers State chairman of Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Comrade Edward Festus-Abibo, when he spoke at the South/South zonal meeting of the group in Port Harcourt, last week.
He said that the scheme which replaced the Defined Benefit Scheme (Pay As You Go), is now in troubled waters both at the federal and state levels.
Festus-Abibo, accused all the concerned authorities of not fulfilling their counterpart funding as stipulated by the 2014 Pension Act (as amended).
The State NUP boss also described as sad the deductions from the beneficiaries salaries at source without remitting same to the appropriate authority.
Concerning pensioners’ plight in the state, he said that the government of Governor Nyesom Wike has paid monthly pensions to those in its payroll up to last month (February).
The union, further requested for the payment increments of 2003, 2007 and the 33 percent for 2010 pension as well as those of retired primary school teachers.
The Union also pleaded with the State Government to include in its payroll the names of Civil Servants in the state who retired between 2014-2016, adding that they are  yet to be given attention by the government.
Also speaking, chairman of the State’s Pensions Board, Mr Ijeoma Samuel, hinted that the government was passionate and committed to pensioners’ welfare.
He pointed out that the government was working out modalities on how to assist pensioners who are involved in the contributory pension scheme.
In his reaction, the state chairman, of United Labour Congress (NLC) Comrade Williams Addah, thanked the organisers of the event for choosing the state as venue for the meeting.