WITHIN his short stay in power, President Goodluck Jonathan has endeared himself to the older generations. President Jonathan, according to the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, has been a lover of the aged population, the pensioners and the workers in particular.Chief Wogu said the President had demonstrated this in his prompt reaction to issues of concern to the pensioners and Nigerian workers, particularly, how he promptly addressed and resolved the problems that had plagued pensioners over the years within the last two years.The pensioners have acknowledged President Jonathans efforts and all he has done to ease their sorrows.According to the National President, Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Alhaji Ali Abacha, President Jonathan has, within a short period, solved the travails of pensioners, and deserves to be commended.Recently, the President released over N6 billion for the payment of pensions and arrears to pensioners.This is made up of the second batch of claims on pension payment which is N658, 567, 047. 92, as well as the third batch which amounts to N819, 610, 905.71. These have been processed and have been released for payment to the pensioners.Also, the first batch of accrued monthly pension arrears and gratuity amounting to N4, 361, 777, 900.96 has also been released for payment by the Task Force.To ensure the quick release of this money, the Head of Service has directed that the mandates of the payments be conveyed to Zenith Bank, by the Task Force, NUP leadership, a member of the EFCC and ICPC so that the payments will be effected immediately.Alhaji Abacha spoke with Labour Today on the present state of pension payments to civilian pensioners under the office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.The NUP president said, You are all witness to the travails these pensioners have gone through. These include non-payment of gratuity to pensioners, some of whom have retired for as long as two to 36 years; non-payment of pensions to enrolled and verified pensioners and non-enrolment of many retirees on the pension payroll. It is painful that many retirees departed from this world without collecting their entitlements after serving the nation meritoriously.Our main aim today is to let the whole world know that our situation has changed for the better. We have cried out at several times, we have prayed many times, and God has answered our prayers. We are grateful to God and to President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, whom he has used to alleviate our sufferings.Today, through the efforts of the Pension Reform Task Force which was appointed by the Head of Service under the leadership of President Jonathan, pensioners have new stories to tell.According to Alhaji Abacha, the payment of monthly pension has been stabilised and consistent, as payments are now made between the 20th and 25th of every month.We are also grateful that through the transparent leadership of our President, the Head of Service and the proactive approach to issues by the Chairman of the Pension Reform Force, additional 34,158 retirees, who were neglected in the past,have now been enrolled and placed on the pension payroll.Some of these pensioners retired more than 35 years agoThe union has worked closely with the Task Force and we are glad to note that a vibrant complaint help-desk that attends to pensioners within 48 hours has been established by the Task Force. This helped to process the complaints of over 38,498 pensioners from January to March 2011.We are also aware that President Jonathan has approved that the Head of Service, Prof. Oladapo Afolabi, and his Task Force team should conduct the enrolment of pensioners in seven centres in the diaspora. This has assisted those elderly citizens living outside Nigeria, either for medical or other reasons, to be enrolled and have access to their entitlements. We appreciate the gesture which is the first of its kind in Nigeria, the NUP president saidHe also emphasised that the payment of the 2003 and 2007 arrears of the harmonised salary increase which was computed by the Task Force and paid to them towards the end of 2010 and the early part of 2011 had helped in alleviating the suffering of their members.He said: We also appreciate the fact that under the leadership and intervention of Mr. President, the monumental fraudulent practices in the Head of Service Pension Office has ceased to exist, and the alleged perpetrators are being brought before the law.We are aware that his government has promised to do more for pensioners, particularly in the payment of harmonised arrears of the 53% 2010 salary increase for Federal Government employers, which we are eagerly awaiting. We are also aware of other welfare packages which are in store for the elderly in the country. We seek the support of all Nigerians to ensure that these laudable plans are brought to fruition.
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