The retired civil servant is one who receives pension,
especially those who have served the government for thirty-five years or have attained the age of sixty years.  It is on record that about three million Nigerians on pension are feared dead each year according to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
Indeed, this huge number of retirees who are on pension die every year from lack of adequate care, and neglect by the same government, which they meritoriously served for thirty-five prospective years of their youthful age.
It has become difficult to be silent than rather be quilt to the fact that civil servants offer the Nigeria State, their head their hands, their legs and their hearts amongst others to function.  Therefore, for any responsive government to succeed, the people’s development should be paramount.
Today, the retirees on pension in Nigeria are saddled with myriad of unprotective conducts accorded them by the very government they meritoriously served before their statutory retirement from service.  What  with the non payment of the 53.4% arrears of pension increment arbitrarily reduced to 33% on current wages increase.
It could be recalled that during implementation of the said wage increment, 20% representing tax on housing and health schemes were deducted from workers wages without considering the fact that pensioners are exempted from paying such taxes.
Again, it is ironical to note that even the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in its first schedule part (1) chapter (4) section 173-(1) provides for the protection of pension rights of a person in the public service of the federation to receive pension or gratuity and to be regulated by law.
The same law in sub-section (3) provides for the review of pension after every five years or together with any federal civil service salary reviews, whichever is earlier.  In the same vein, section 210-(1) sub-section (2) states that the right to pension in the public service of a state shall be regulated by law.
Furthermore, section 210-(2) stipulates that any benefit to which a pensioner is entitled in accordance with or under such law as is referred to in sub-section(1) of this section shall not be withheld or altered to his or her disadvantage except to such extent as is permissible under any law, including the code of conduct.
Unfortunately, all the past governments at the federal and state levels have neglected implementing these constitutional provisions as and when due.
It may interest the reading and listening public and also the federal government to know that pensioners were due for another pension increment in year 2015 as the last increase was made in 2010.
It is also worrisome to note that the various salary harmonization exercises carried out in the past were not being properly done as there are glaring cases of wide disparity between pensions of officers of the same rank who statutorily retired at different dates.
As it is, a foolproof methodology be put in place to avoid cases of some retired officers being short-changed during and eventual harmonization exercise. It is indeed a concern to note that the current minimum wage enjoyed by workers did not incorporate pensioner’s rights as being articulated.
It is very sad because so many of our pensioners still receive monthly pensions below N10,000.00 in contravention of section (173 (3) and 201 (3) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.
“What is good for the goose they say is also good for the gander”. Presently, the plight of pensioners under the Contributory Pension Scheme does not stand the test of time.
This is because pensioners under the contributory pension scheme have not been able to access their monthly pensions since July, 2014 and worst of it, no gratuity was approved for them after serving government with thirty-five prospective years of their youthful age.  These categories of pensioners deserved to be attended to with dispatch in order to alleviate their sufferings.
Again in order to make life easier for pensioners, Nigeria’s Pension Managers should do well to place them on first line charge.  This will enable early payment of pensions before payment of workers’ salaries as a mark of honour and respect for the senior citizens of the country.  It is indeed disheartening to note that in Rivers State, employees who statutorily retired from service effective from August 2007 have not been paid their federal share of gratuity up till date, the objectives of the Pension Reform Act 2004.
In any case pensioners in Rivers State Civic Service shall ever remain grateful to His Excellency Chief Barr. Nyesom Ezenwo Wike (CON) who within his first one hundred days in office graciously approved and instantly paid the backlog of six months unpaid pensions owed pensioners by the non-workers friendly government of Mr Rotimi Amaechi.
In the same vein, pensioners are passionately appealing to the people friendly Governor, Chief Wike to reconsider the pathetic plights of these pensioner’s by evolving necessary administrative processes to upwardly review and harmonise their pensions accordingly.
This is equally important for the sitting government  to revisit the verification exercise to payment of federal share of gratuity, earlier undertaken by the past administration of Mr Rotimi Amaechi, to authenticate illegibility of beneficiaries and cash involvement as to conclude approval formalities and give express order to payment of outstanding share of federal government “gratuity” to the affected employees of the state.
It should be noted also that the past administration of Mr Rotimi Amaechi, was unable to conclude issues to pay the “Federal Share of Gratuity” and even the unpaid six month pensions at the time due to the former governor’s preference in political adventure, to the detriment of civil service which he was elected to effectively supervise.
This tendency of flagrant disregard to the protection of the rights of pensioners indeed aroused the political consciousness of retirees in Rivers State to prefer the choice of Wike as Governor for Rivers State.
This was the reason why these aggrieved pensioners, demonstrated their preference for Wike’s governorship candidature and politically supported his campaign for votes, by embarking on the elongated civil demonstrations of 28th January, 2015 that lasted through the campaigns and eventual election to his subsequent inauguration as governor of Rivers State on 29th May, 2015.
Indeed, pensioners are therefore of the view and believe that Nyesom Wike will be responsive to accord administrative handling of pension affairs a priority in governance.
Tonye Fuayefika, a public affairs analyst writes from Port Harcourt.

Tonye Fuayefika