The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP),says vowed to mobilise votes for any aspirant that would uphold interest of its members in the country.
President of NUP, Comrade Godwin Abumisi, spoke at a press conference on Wednesday in Abuja, where he said his members would no longer be used and abandoned by politicians after winning elections in Nigeria.
According to him,the union was still understudying the aspirants with a view to assessing those that would religiously incorporate the payment of pension as at when due into their programmes.
He added that such persons who are retirees -friendly in power would guarantee a sense of belonging, respect and improved welfare for our members.
He also advocated the need for the sustenance of the Pensions Transition Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) because they have a resulted oriented policy which has made pension administration easy and hitch free.
He said:”We pensioners are keenly and curiously watching the political space and the ongoing aggressive campaigns being embarked upon by the various aspirants vying for different positions under different political parties.
“Certainly the pensioners shall pitch their tent with the Presidential/Gubernatorial aspirants who are committed and more disposed to their cause and plight by massively casting their votes for them in order to secure their tomorrow.
“We are still watching them and for the first time in Nigeria, we are going to make sure anybody who will not be disposed favourably to Pensioners in Nigeria is going to fail in the elections. A time has come when the politicians will stop taking us for granted.”
Commending the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) for bringing succour to Nigerian pensioners through their various policies and interventions,he maintained that PTAD could not be “held responsible for delay of monthly pensons or any related payments as misconceived by the misinformed general public.
He disclosed that the introduction of PTAD’s ‘I Am Alive’ application software designed to routinely check the status of aliveness of pensioners and removing death cases from the database and payroll, has eliminated the rigorous physical verification exercise but most importantly, saved the Federal Government billions of naira.
He lamented the pathetic plight and unfortunate living conditions of state pensioners, especially those in states where the governor’s were unwilling to pay their legitimate entitlements.
He added:”Even though I salute many state Governor’s who are prompt in paying monthly pensions to our state pensioners, it is on records that majority of the state pensioners have not received a dime of their gratuity since retirement between 5 – 10 years.More worrisome, almost all the state Governor’s choose not to review the monthly pensions of their retirees as provided in section 173(3) and 210(3) of the 1999 constitution as amended.
“With all sense of respect and responsibility,I call on the state Governors as a matter of national emergency to immediately set up committee jointly with our state council’s across the country to work out modalities on how state governors will liquidate all the outstanding entitlements that had accrued over the years.”
