Pensioners in Nigeria Threatens to Embark on Nationwide Protest

The National President of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Abel Afolayan has said that it is disheartening that after two years of implementing the national minimum wage, the Federal Government is yet to approve their demands as stipulated in the constitution and have threatened to embark on a nationwide protest, giving the Federal Government a 21-day ultimatum.

The pensioners during a briefing in Abuja called on the Federal Government to implement the consequential adjustment of pensions arising from the implementation of the National Minimum Wage for Nigerian workers.

The pensioners said further that two years after the adjustment of salaries and the implementation of the N30,000 national minimum wage as approved by the Government, they are still waiting for the approval of their own consequential adjustment of monthly pensions, in compliance with the above constitutional stipulation, even after several efforts by the national leadership of the union.

Quoting from the 1999 constitution with respect to sections 173(3) and 210 (3) as it affects the 5 -yearly review of pension, Afolayan said they should be a review or together with the salary reviews of workers

It will be recalled that the ex-servicemen occupied the Federal Ministry of Finance, Abuja,earlier in January over the non-payment of their pension arrears, appealing to the Federal Government to approve the payment of minimum wage arrears accruing to them between 2019 as well as stop all deductions on the pension of all retired medical officers, inclusion of officers who fought during the civil war on the military pension scheme, among others.