Pensioners in the Southwest geo-political zone have demanded for N40,000 minimum pension from governors in the zone.
The pensioners made the demand on Thursday, at the end of the meeting of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Southwest zone, held in Ibadan .
PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the meeting was attended by union executives from Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, Lagos and Ogun states.
The NUP Public Relations Officer for the zone, Olusegun Abatan while speaking at a press conference, said the plight of pensioners had remained static for years.
According to Abatan, some pensioners in the zone earn as low as N350 monthly pension, while the governors seem not to see anything wrong with it.
He said many states in the zone last paid their pensioners’ gratuities between 2012 and 2014, describing it as criminal and unacceptable.
“Governors’ salaries have continued to increase, while some of them still factor in life pensions for themselves after spending four to eight years, without thinking about the lives of pensioners as well as their gratuities and pensions.
The Southwest zone of NUP has decided at our meeting that we will not take anything less than N40,000 minimum pension.
Abatan said “It is disheartening to tell you that while workers have minimum wage, there is no minimum pension.”
He said that the removal of petrol subsidy had not only affected the citizens of Nigeria, but had more effect on pensioners.
The NUP public relations officer said pensioners now found it more difficult to attend to their medical expenses and other needs as a result of low pension.
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