The three tiers of government across the country have been advised to settle all outstanding pension and gratuities owed retired workers in their establishment as a way of mitigating the suffering of senior citizens.
Kehind Oniwinde, chairman, Insurance Pensioners Association, gave this advice recently in Lagos. He observed that the sufferings of pensioners in the country have continued to discourage the present generation of workers from putting in their best in the jobs they are employed to do, particularly in the public sector. He said that pensioners suffer because their pensions are delayed and in some cases not paid at all and as a result most of them starve to death.
Reviewing the living condition of retirees across the country, he stated that it is an embarrassment for Nigerians and the world to read daily of the protests staged by retirees from the Nigerian Railway Corporation and from the public sector over pension arrears owed them by successive governments.
Oniwinde also stated his conviction that the new Pensions Act has guaranteed the future generation of Nigerian workers comfort in retirement saying that “the situation will change particularly for the younger generation who still have a long time to make contribution into the scheme”.
