The last National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) held at the Labour House, last week, was very significant in the history of civil pensioners in the country. Several actions and meetings among the stakeholders that cumulated in the NEC meeting will go a long way to solve problems facing pensioners across the federation.Following days of significant and fruitful meetings with the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Professor Oladapo Afolabi and the Pension Task Force Chairman, Alhaji Abdulrasheed Maina, the NUP took some developmental actions that will address the problem of pensioners.Penultimate week, the NUP had cried out to intimate Nigerians and President Goodluck Jonathan on the plights of the civil pensioners and how its members were wallowing in abject poverty while some have died out of frustration without enjoying the fruits of their labour, alleging that some people have sat on their pensions and the pensioners were not paid despite the release of the money long time ago by President Jonathan.The National President of the union, Alhaji Ali Abatcha and the General Secretary, Elder Actor Zal, had in a press conference revealed that over N50 billion, out of the monies released by President Jonathan for the payment of pensioners were trapped in six banks.The NUP then called for the investigation of the banks involved by President Goodluck Jonathan, as it described the banks involved as 'partners in crime' to a 'powerful syndicate' behind the fraud.Alhaji Abatcha named the affected banks as: The Unity Bank, Access Bank, Guarantee Trust Bank, Oceanic Bank, Union Bank and Zenith Bank.He regretted that the powerful syndicate behind the fraud was sabotaging the efforts of President Jonathan.To him, despite the prompt release of the funds for pension payment by President Jonathan, the money was not getting to their target owners, the pensioners.The NUP President said the money was stashed away in these banks to yield unaccountable interests for the syndicate.In fact, the NUP had put in place a strategic plan to release more facts and information about the issue in the dailies to reveal the unholy activities and alliance between the syndicate and the office of the head of service to afflict the pensioners and deny them of the timely payment of pension.Alhaji Abatcha described it as 'the height of injustice and inhumanity to humanity.' He also blamed the head of civil service for subjecting the Pension Task Force to 'all form of unusual and superfluous bureaucratic bottlenecks.'He urged him to give Task Force more autonomy to operate towards 'facilitating and fast tracking pension payments that would put smiles on the faces of our members.'As NUP set to go further, they were hurriedly summoned to a meeting by the Head of Civil Service and the various meetings that follow would go a long way to resolve the issue.Satisfied by the outcome of the intervention by the Head of Civil Service, the NUP held its NEC meeting to deliberate with its larger members. At the end of all deliberations, the NEC came up with resolutions, which they believe the office of the Head of Civil Service will adhere to.In a communiqu signed by Alhaji Abatcha and Elder Zal, after the meeting, the union resolved to co-operate with the office of the Head of Service of the Federation to make a success of the forth-coming revalidation of pensioners nationwide on condition that all outstanding monthly pension liabilities, including other arrears thereof are paid.
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