Prepare for protest votes, pensioners tell FG, states

    
The Nigerian Union of Pensioners on Monday warned the Federal and State Governments that are neglecting their welfare to prepare for protest votes in coming elections.

Boasting that it had five million voting block, the union warned that it will not be in the interest of any government to continue to treat its demands with neglect.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, the NUP President, Dr. Abel Afolayan, said governments had continued to neglect the pensioners by not paying them their entitlements, despite numerous letters written to raise the issues.

According to him, efforts to seek redress from various governments have proved fruitless and failed to satisfy their legitimate yearnings.

He complained that pensioners had not been paid their outstanding arrears and gratuity due by the federal and some state governments.

He also accused government of favouring the military pensioners over the civil pensioners by paying them the 33 percent pension increase and its arrears.

Besides, Afolayan lamented that government had not prosecuted most identified pension thieves, “not to talk of jailing anyone found guilty among them.”

If the situation persisted, the NUP said it would “have no alternative other than to involve the Nigeia Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress.

“With the involvement of these two labour giants in the country, it is retain that all Nigeian workers, who are praying to be pensioners one day, would join us on sympathy ground in nationwide protests which may likely come up in future.

“Government should be told that civil pensioners in Nigeria which is about five million form a large voting block and to neglect us is not in the best interest of either the Federal Government or State Governments.”