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Nasarawa, Kogi Retirees Want Upward Review of Pension

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Residents of Nasarawa and Kogi on Monday advocated the reform of Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), saying it has not met the expectations of pensioners.Some pensioners who spoketo our correspondent in Lokoja on Monday said they were not impressed with the manner some of the pension administrators were treating them.

Mr Dare Olukaiyeja, a retired director in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security said his experience after retirement was unfortunate given the manner his pension administrators handled his monthly pension.
The director, in expressing his pain, said he got his gratuity and pension almost two years after retirement.Though, he admitted that his monthly pension was being paid regularly.
“I never knew that it would take me almost two years before my retirement benefits would be paid.“This is because the delay was contrary to what they always made workers to believe before their retirement.“I think government should look into the unnecessary delays in payment of retirees’ retirement benefits so as not to send some persons to their early graves.“The CPS should be reformed to allow contributors take away their Retired Saving Account (RSA) balance 100 per cent,” Olukaiyeja said.Mr Kola Adeyemi, a retired Deputy Director in News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said he retired in October 2021, and had a fair experience with the CPS.“I retired on October 10, 2021, and I got my benefits 14 months. I think that was fair compared to some that take over two or three years.“In my case, the delay was due to a mistake I made while filling my form. I filled the form twice, and this led to a shift in the schedule time I was to be paid.“Again, I have been getting my monthly pension regularly, particularly on the 20th of every month from my PFA. CPS is a close ended arrangement, this is should be looked into.“All the same, there is need for review to know exactly what CPS is set out to achieve and not only to take off the burden of paying monthly pensions to retirees from FG,” he said.Another retiree, Mr Ahmed Dada, expressed mixed feelings about his experience on the contributory pension.Dada said: “It has been mixed feelings for me as my monthly pension is nothing to write home about”.Like Adeyemi, Dada said he got his maiden pension benefits in 2021, having waited for 15 months.The retired director said that he has been getting his monthly pension regularly from his pension fund administrator.“This class of Nigerian retirees, especially those on the CPS are really passing through hell coping with the current economic hardships in the country,” Dada said.Mr Oladipo Agaja, who retired from Kogi Local Government Service on Grade Level 14 said that he only got N120, 000 as part of his gratuity since he retired in 2010.He said: “I cannot remember the amount I am entitled to but as a retired Head of Department of Works, I took home that amount at my retirement as salary.“I now collect a monthly pension of N39, 000. Thanks to this present administration which came to upgrade the monthly payment, because as at last year I was earning between N9,000 and N18,000 as pension.Agada appealed to the state and Federal Government to establish uniform rules and standards of administration on pension.A retired educationist, Mrs Ladun Gbadebo, who worked in the state ministry of education said there was need to scrutinise pension staffer following alleged shady activities going on in the pension administrators’ offices.Gbadebo noted that the administration of pension in Nigeria had been marred by policy inconsistencies.She highlighted major problems of the pension scheme as delay in payment of pensions and gratuities to deserving retirees, lack of accountability and poor management.According to her, pension system was faces the challenges of lack of transparency and inaccurate pensioners’ records, among others.“All these challenges have pushed many pensioners into untold hardship, such as abject poverty, ill health.“Many have resorted to begging for survival while others have died waiting for the payments of their gratuities and pension,” she said.Mrs Florence Aina, who retired from Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, called on government at all levels to always remember pensioners as much as they remember those still in service.Aina said financially, the pensioners need to be adequately catered for because being senior citizens they usually have some health challenges.“I expect government to put emphasis on pensioners, such that when other sectors get a pay increase, they should also have.“This is because what affects serving civil servants affect them too because they all buy from the same market.In Nasarawa State retirees appealed to the state government for an upward review of their pension entitlements.According to the senior citizens, they have not benefited from three consecutive national minimum wage increments in Nasarawa State.Mr Samuel Tabe, a pensioner said that pensioners in Nasarawa State were going through tough times as some receive as low as N5, 000 as pension.“This is the third national minimum wage they are working on and none was added to the pensioners in Nasarawa state.“Everybody is keeping quiet; nobody is talking about the pensioners,” he said.Tabe, who retired in 2013, said he started receiving his pension payment immediately after he exited from the service.“I am not satisfied with the current system regarding gratuity payment, unlike those days when somebody retires his benefits will be worked out for him.“When you eventually leave the service, the highest you stay before you can receive your gratuity is 3 to 4 months, thereafter your gratuity is being paid. But it is not like that today.“Since I retired from the service in 2013 till date my gratuity has not been paid, I have up to N8 million as my gratuity,” he said.Mr Matthew Tukura, a new retiree, urged the agencies responsible for the payment of retirees’ benefits to make provision for their accumulated entitlements at once rather than paying in piecemeal.“Even if the government cannot pay retirees their entitlements at once half of it should be paid. If such sum is paid at once they can go into business like poultry, fish and livestock farming’’, he said.Tukura raised concern over the delayed payment of gratuity in the state.“To treat senior citizens like that is not the best; it doesn’t show respect for labour and services after serving for 35 years.“So, government and other agencies responsible for pension matters should review the pension so that our senior citizens can enjoy their lives after retirement,” he said.Mr Peter Ahemba, Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to Gov. Abdullahi Sule, assured that the government would review the payment of pension upward to enable pensioners enjoy increments accrued from the new minimum wage.He said Sule’s administration was sensitive to the plight of the senior citizens as he maintained regular payment of pension in the state since he became governor.“Retired civil servants in Nasarawa State enjoy their pension almost immediately after retirement.“ It does not take time because when you are about to retire your pension is processed by relevant offices as quickly as possible.“Government has plans to review the pension upward because of the new national minimum wage; pensioners should be patient with the government.“The government is sensitive to the plights of the pensioners, every pensioner will get what is due to him or her,” he said. (NAN)

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Yuletide: Bode George Urges Tinubu to Reduce Petrol Price

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Chief Bode George, a former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has urged President Bola Tinubu to reduce the price of petrol   to N300 per litre ,to make things easy for Nigerians during the festive season.

George, the Atona Oodua of Yorubaland, made this plea at an interactive session with newsmen on Wednesday in Lagos.

The price of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol, is currently above N1,000 per litre.

According to the elder statesman,Nigerians  are going through hardship, the President should give an order to reduce fuel price, specifying time frame the people will enjoy such window of relief.

He said that the federal government as well as well- meaning individuals and businesses could bear the cost of such price slash , to bring happiness to all Nigerians.

The PDP leader, who noted that December and January are  special months , said that such gesture could start from the  middle of December and run through January.

“I have been thinking, as a Nigerian, what can we do because the anger and the hunger are almost equal on the streets of Nigeria.

“What am I suggesting is that Mr President should sit down with his managers and give an order that from the middle of December to the end of January, the cost of petrol will be N300 per litre.

“The government can absorb the losses in the interest of the suffering people.

“If they (government) want others to contribute, let us know how much that is going to cost and ask people to donate, to bear the cost.

“We will be sending a lot of messages of happiness across the tribes and homes.

“Everybody in Nigeria will be happy because it will positively impact on this period of the year. It is a challenge and he (Tinubu) can do it.

“We need this in this December and January to put smiles on the faces of Nigerians, ” George, a PDP Board of Trustees (BOT) life member, said.

Advising the President to take further measures to bring relief to the people, he said that the gesture would crash prices of essential commodities and services for the benefit of all .

He said that government’s efforts should be concentrated on reducing high inflation rate, unemployment, poverty and youth restlessness  in order to create a better future for Nigerians

Speaking on the recent presidential election in Ghana, George noted that Nigeria’s electoral system  needed reforms to guard against electoral frauds and manipulations.

According to him, the nation will continue to grope for development if the system fails to encourage best candidates  to emerge.

Stating that election must reflect the wishes of the people and be devoid of  religious and tribal sentiments, George said that Ghana election should be a wake up call for Nigeria.

“INEC performance must improve. The commission must make sure that the voice of the people is  heard in elections.

“Electoral offenders should be made to face the music and sent to jail. We must be very firm about due process, credibility and transparency in elections,” he said.

Urging the President to revisit resolutions in the 2014 Constitutional Conference, George said that the current constitution was not federal in principle and practice.

“We should not deceive ourselves, the constitution is a problem. It is a military constitution, it is not democratic,” he said.

George called on the National Assembly to ensure devolution of powers and electoral reforms that would do away with manual collation of election results and mandate electronic transmission of election results from polling units.

George disagreed with political watchers saying no  vacancy in  presidency in 2027.

On the dwindling strength of the former ruling party, George, who noted that all organisations had its ups and downs, said that selfish interests and disregard for  party rules remained PDP’s major challenge.

He said that PDP could bounce back and win presidential election if the leadership decided to elevate national interest above selfish interests and adhere to the party’s constitution.

“We will tell ourselves some serious old truth. We messed ourselves  up. ” he said.

Stating, however, that the PDP was not dead, George said that lack of justice, equity, fairness and the inability to adhere to the  party’s zoning and rotational principle cost the party victory in 2023.

Calling on the party’s founding fathers alive to wake up and rescue the party, George said that Nigerians were still waiting for the former ruling party to take over power and put things right. (NAN)

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Tinubu Set for Groundbreaking of Renewed Hope City in Lagos 

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President Bola Tinubu, is set to perform the  groundbreaking of 2,000 housing units of the Renewed Hope City in Ibeju Lekki, Lagos, in the next few weeks.

Mr Ahmed Dangiwa, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, announced this during an official assessment visit, on Wednesday in Lagos

Dangiwa said Lagos would represent the South-west, while the president would do that of the North-West in Kano, before doing that of the four other regions.

“Arrangements is already on ground, we have gotten sites, and work has commenced for 2000 houses in the Renewed Hope City that we intend to build in Ibeju-Lekki,” he said.

Towards achieving the set goal, the minister said the visiting team also paid a courtesy visit to Gov.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu to discuss area of collaboration between the federal and state governments.

He disclosed that the federal and Lagos state governments had agreed to set up a Tripartite committee and ensure all the issues of concerns between the parties were resolved amicably for the benefit of all.

Earlier, the Minister embarked on an assessment visit of deplorable Federal Government buildings and assets across Lagos state in a bid to commence rehabilitation on them in a few months.

Dangiwa said the rehabilitation was necessary as the deplorable buildings posed a challenge and security concerns to the Lagos state government. (NAN)

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Gov. Alia Presents N550.1bn as 2025 Budget Estimate to Benue Assembly 

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Gov. Hyacinth Alia on Wednesday presented the sum of N550.1bn as the 2025 appropriation bill to the Benue State House of Assembly for consideration and passage into law.

Alia told the lawmakers that out of the total budget size, N175.4 billion is for recurrent expenditure while the N374.

7 billion is for capital expenditure.

The governor said that the total estimate represented a 47.

5  per cent increment over the 2024 revised and approved figure of N373 billion.

He stated that the appropriation bill tagged “Budget of Human Capital Development, Food Security, and Digital Economy” was to consolidate the gains made in 2024.

Alia further explained that the proposed recurrent expenditure of N175.

4 billion was 13.55 per cent higher than the previous year.

According to him, budgeted capital expenditure of N374.7 billion represents a 71.5 per cent increment on the 2024 revised capital expenditure.

“The budget breakdown indicated that the sum of N212.2 billion, representing 38.52 per cent is for administration; N196.6 billion, representing 35.68 per cent is for the economy; law and justice will take N26.6 billion, representing 4.84 per cent while social welfare will gulp N115.5 billion, representing 20.96 per cent.

“We have the vision. We have the will. And most importantly, we have the people ready to work alongside us to turn this vision into reality.

“Together, we will build a state where every citizen has the opportunity to succeed, where food is plentiful, and where the digital economy opens new frontiers of opportunity for all,” he said.

The governor said the intention of the government was to stay within the limits of its recurring revenue to build the state without accruing unnecessary debts for generations unborn.

He, however, said that since the 2025 budget was a deficit one, it proposed a borrowing plan of a conservative sum of N26bn, representing a modest 4.7 per cent of the proposed aggregate expenditure for 2025.

“This is lower than the state’s debt-to-GDP ratio of 8.2 per cent which is within the benchmark of the 25 per cent debt sustainability threshold.

“Despite these favourable debt ratios, I want to reiterate that borrowing will only be considered as a last resort and for regenerative investment purposes,” he added.

Alia stated that the problem of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) remained a challenge, adding that they have reasonably improved their living conditions.

He said the Bureau of International Cooperation and Development has elicited substantial grants from donors, totalling N85bn. (NAN)

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