By Edwin Nwachukwu
A group, Concerned Pensioners and Citizens of Nigeria, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to direct the Minister of Finance and the Director General, PENCOM, to pay all the Federal Government Retirees who retired since March 2023 their constitutional entitlement (Gratuity).
The distressed group, in a message to the President and commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, urged him to save the retirees from more sickness and untimely death, which have been recurring problems amongst the retirees since last year.
It added that the nonpayment has been ongoing for two years since the last payment was made by the last administration of Former President Buhari, and nothing has been done to date.
‘’This is sad and pathetic for all pensioners to bear the terrible hardship, especially under this harsh economic situation and inflation in Nigeria,’’ the Concerned Pensioners and Citizens of Nigeria said.
The group, however, called on other sympathetic citizens to unequivocally raise their voices in appealing to Mr President to be empathetic enough to give an urgent directive to those concerned for the payment without any further delay to save the situation into a further abysmal deteriorating terrible condition of the pensioners.
‘’Our fellow good citizens can also join the helpless Federal Government Pensioners to sincerely appeal, beg and coarse the government to have mercy on all the Federal Government Pensioners in payment of their entitlement, which has not been paid till date as promised to be cleared.’’
The group also appealed to frontline injustice fighter and fearless journalist; Mr Daudu Olatunji and erudite scholar, Dr Isaiah Segun Ayedun to help the helpless retirees speak out to the concerned authority on the above issue to avert any unpalatable mass death of Federal Government retirees.
‘’President Bola Tinubu should please have sympathy for retirees who have served this great nation meritoriously for 35 years and retired.
‘’He should not allow them to regret serving their ‘Father Land’ which is a rare opportunity for all Civil Servants to serve their nation and retire gloriously,’’ they added.
They prayed that Almighty God would give the President the grace and wisdom to act accordingly and put smiles and not sadness on the faces of pensioners in the country.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Union of Pensioners has scheduled a day rally for the payment of Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) retirees outstanding accrued rights and consequential adjustments arising from pension increments in the public service.
108scoop.com reports that the rally is expected to be held on Wednesday 23rd of October, 2024 by 9 a.m.
