Organized Labour under the aegis of Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has urged the Federal Government to release its counter-part funds to the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) so that thousands of retired Public Servants can be paid their entitlements.
Making this call in a statement on Thursday in Lagos, the ASCSN Secretary-General, Comrade Alade Bashir Lawal, lamented that the inability of the Federal Government to meet its financial obligation to PENCOM had made it difficult for the organisation to remit necessary funds to Pension Funds Administrators (PFAs) to settle retirees’ benefits.
He posited that retirees affected were those who had put in several years in service before the 2004 Pension Reform Act was promulgated.
“After the Contributry Pension Scheme was introduced in 2004, public servants who have served for years before the new law came into existence were expected to have their pension bonded so that Government will release same to PENCOM to pay them on retirement.
“But for inexplicable reasons, the Federal Government has refused to remit the bonded pension to PENCOM and as a result, thousands of public servants who served the country meritoriously for years have not been paid their pension benefit after retirement especially in the last one year.
n“It is indeed baffling that hardworking public servants who have devoted their productive years serving the country for 35 years or attained 60 years of age while in service are being denied their legitimate benefits,” the Union regretted.
According to the ASCSN, many public service retirees had died because they could not receive their pension and as such had no money to buy medication or feed themselves and stressed the urgent need for the Federal Government to remit the bonded pension to PENCOM without further delay.
It lamented that the Federal Government which was probing the State Governments for not paying salary was owing thousands of retired public servants pension.
“In the last one year, most of the Federal Government workers who retired have not been paid their pension. Is it an offence to serve your fatherland,” the union wondered.
The ASCSN posited that the essence of pension was that on retirement, the money would be release to the retirees to enable them fend for themselves and their dependants.
It regretted that series of letters written by the League of Federal Public Service Contributory Pension Retirees to the Honourable Minister of Finance and the Budget Office of the Federation had been treated with contempt.
The Union accordingly urged the Federal Government to take urgent steps and ensure that all outstanding arrears of pension were paid immediately to enable the retirees and their families enjoy the Christmas and New Year festivals.
“We call on the Trade Union Movement, Civil Society Groups and other well-meaning Nigerians to join in appealing to the Federal Government to pay retirees their benefits because people should not be punished for serving their country,” the union stated.
