Pay our 6-month N25,000 wage, pensioners beg Tinubu

The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has called on the Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu to pay the six-month wage award of N25,000 per month that is owed to its members nationwide.

Bunmi Ogunkolade, NUP’s Head of Information, made the plea on Monday in Abuja, highlighting that the government has not yet implemented the N25,000 wage award announced for pensioners in 2023.

Ogunkolade pointed out that while workers have received their N35,000 wage award for six months, pensioners have yet to see any payment. “What did the pensioners do wrong?” he asked.

Ogunkolade praised President Bola Tinubu for signing the new National Minimum Wage law and urged that its implementation should also benefit pensioners.

He expressed concern over the severe economic hardships faced by pensioners, which have led to health issues among many elderly members. “It is distressing to see our members suffering from conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure, with no support from the state governments they served for decades,” he said.

Ogunkolade also criticized some state governors for suggesting that pensioners should rely on their children for support. He noted that some pensioners are still receiving as little as N2,000 monthly, even after retiring 15 years ago.

The NUP official called on state governors to enforce the 33.4 percent pension increment directive from 2010 and the regular increments from 2015 and 2019.