From Frank Ikpefan, Abuja
Federal Parastatals and Private Sector Pensioners’ Association of Nigeria (FEPPPAN), others in Ekiti and Nasarawa states have appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to include vulnerable Nigerian pensioners in the COVID-19 palliatives being distributed nationwide.
The pensioners said this would help cushion the hardship of the senior citizens during the lockdown period ordered by the Federal and some state governments.
Their plea came in a separate statement by their union executives. In it, Federal Government pensioners, through its President-General, Chief Temple Ubani, said the appeal was necessitated by the perennial vulnerability of pensioners in the country, which has been exacerbated by the strict lockdown of Ogun, Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory. He said that pensioners need money to procure both drugs and other necessary needs to stay alive while the lockdown persist.
“We most humbly request the President to please include Nigerian Retirees spread all over the Nigerian states and the FCT in the palliatives meant for distribution to vulnerable Nigerians. Pensioners are among the most vulnerable in any community because of their age and health,” Ubani said, adding that the pensioners can be reached most effectively through their pay-points; such as: The Treasury Funded through PTAD, The Self Funding and Private Sector Pensioners through their former employers and, the Contributory Pensioners through their PFAs.
In Ekiti, the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), said the palliatives are needed to enable its members cope with the effects of the lockdown. Ayo Kumapayi and Azeez Agbaje, Chairman and Secretary of the union respectively, made the appeal in a statement in Ado-Ekiti.
They said in a statement that the request for palliatives had become necessary following the extension of the lockdown by two more weeks in the state. According to the statement, the lockdown has subjected many pensioners to hunger and untold hardship, thus resulting in health complications and even death of some of the members.
“While we commend our governments for their efforts to cushion the effects of this pandemic on the vulnerable citizens, it is important to call for more attention to the plight of other groups, they said, adding, “we have recorded several deaths of our members since this lockdown began, most of them from 70 years and above, while some are currently in critical condition for some reasons including hunger.
“The lockdown is a double jeopardy on our members because some of them were still being owed pension arrears by government while their children who are supposed to cater for them are also trapped in the lockdown.
“It is very important that our government reach out to our members through the route used for the payment of their pension and allowances or pass through the union so as to save them from untimely death,” the statement said.
It said the CCT Scheme of the Federal Government ought to have captured pensioners as they were among the vulnerable persons in the society based on their age and health.
“We are, therefore, appealing to governments, corporate bodies and individuals to save our souls and reach out to our members,” the News Agency of Nigeria, reported.
Also, the Organised Labour in Nasarawa State has appealed to the government to include pensioners and junior workers living with disability in any palliative meant to cushion the effects of the partial lockdown in the state.
The Chairmen of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) in the state made the call in separate interviews with reporters in Lafia.
Comrade Yusuf Iya, NLC Chairman said that civil servants who are living with disabilities need support to cushion the effects of the partial lockdown, saying the economic situation is biting harder with the COVID-19 outbreak, hence pensioners should be captured in whatever palliative the government would give to the vulnerable.
Iya, however, praised Governor Abdullahi Sule for the measures taken so far, including distribution of palliative to the vulnerable, imposition of curfew as well as the stay-at-home directive for all civil servants below grade level 12.
He also urged government at all levels to prioritise payment of workers salaries. The NLC chairman also appealed to the state government to provide protective materials, such as hand sanitisers and face masks to all civil servant exempted from the stay-at-home directive.
On his part, Mohammed Doma, TUC Chairman in the state said civil servants, especially the junior workers and pensioners should be considered for support at this time.
He said that though the partial lockdown was the way to go at this time, government needed to do more to cushion the effects on the people.
“Most people who are earn their living daily also need support from the government because their means of livelihood has been blocked as a result of the lockdown,” the TUC Chairman added.
Doma urged the government to ensure thorough screening of all the people entering the state irrespective of their status in society.
He called on workers and other members of the public to obey preventive guidelines of social distancing, washing hands regularly with soup under running water and using hand sanitisers to contain the spread of the virus.
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