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Tag: Nigeria Union of Pensioners

  • NUP directs its General Secretary to proceed on retirement leave

    NUP directs its General Secretary to proceed on retirement leave

    The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has directed its General Secretary, Actor Zal to proceed on retirement leave after spending over 42 years of service and attainment of the approved retirement age.

    The Union also announced the constitution of an administrative committee to probe issues surrounding its finances and the acquisition of assets allegedly involving the retired General Secretary and the Union’s Treasurer.

    Briefing journalists in Abuja, National President of NUP, Elder Godwin Abumisi, said the decision was taken in line with the Union’s constitution, resolutions of its National Executive Council (NEC), and established retirement regulations applicable to workers in Nigeria.

    He disclosed that the General Secretary had served the Union for over 42 years and had attained the age of 65, placing him clearly beyond the approved retirement threshold.

    Abumisi stressed that NUP is “a creation of law, operating strictly under the Trade Unions Act,” noting that its authority derives from its constitution, which mandates a quadrennial National Delegates Conference (NDC).

    He recalled that delegates converged in Kano on 16 April 2025 for the Union’s conference, where critical gaps were identified in the constitution and subsequently addressed by the NEC.

    “One of the anomalies we discovered was that the General Secretary was answering to the Chief Executive Officer, which meant he was effectively the boss of the President.

    “The NEC corrected that and resolved that the President, as in every trade union, must be the Chief Executive Officer,” the NUP president said.

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    According to him, the NEC also resolved to introduce a clear retirement framework for staff of the Union, insisting that “there is nowhere in the world where staff of an organisation work endlessly without retirement.”

    He explained that previous provisions were vague and created the impression that staff could remain in office indefinitely.

    Abumisi added: “In good faith, we even extended the retirement age beyond the Nigerian public service standard.

    “While the public service retires at 60 years of age or 35 years of service, we agreed that NUP staff should retire at 65 years or 40 years of service.

    “When I asked him to submit his retirement letter, he told me he was not yet tired. Retirement is not about whether you are tired or not; it is a condition of service backed by law.”

    He commended President Bola Tinubu for the recent interventions in the pension sector, citing the release of N58 billion and N758 billion for pension increases and accrued rights.

    “These are significant steps that have brought relief to pensioners across the country,” he added.

  • Fed govt begins payment of 20% pension increment to pensioners

    Fed govt begins payment of 20% pension increment to pensioners

    …NUP hails Tinubu, PTAD for implementation of increment

    The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has confirmed the payment of a 20 percent pension increase for retirees under the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS).

    The union hailed President Bola Tinubu for the increment and the introduction of a minimum pension of ₦32,000 for retirees.

    The 20 percent pension increase, backdated to January 2024, has been paid to many DBS pensioners, while the minimum pension of ₦32,000, approved in July 2024, has also reached several beneficiaries.

    According to the NUP, these initiatives reflect President Tinubu’s “love and commitment to ensuring pensioners in the country are supported and their rights protected and promoted.”

    In a statement signed by its National President, Comrade Godwin Abumisi, the union praised the President for implementing significant measures to alleviate the economic challenges faced by retirees under the DBS.

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    The NUP also expressed gratitude to the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) and its new Executive Secretary, Tolulope Odunaiya, for ensuring the timely disbursement of the pension increments.

    The statement said: “This is the first of its kind that pensioners will receive any form of pension increase without protests in different forms. We hail you, Mr. President.

    “We appreciate her promise to ensure that the 20% pension increase is paid before the end of December 2024 and her strict implementation of President Tinubu’s policy direction on pensioners’ welfare.”

    However, the union raised concerns over discrepancies in the payment process.

    It said that despite progress, not all pensioners have received their entitlements.

    “As of today, the 20% pension increment arrears have not been fully paid to all DBS pensioners. Furthermore, 70% of pensioners are yet to receive the ₦32,000 minimum pension,” the NUP said.

    The NUP called on PTAD to address these discrepancies promptly, urging the agency to review its records and rectify any errors in the payment process.

    “We demand that PTAD pay serious attention to ensuring no DBS pensioner is omitted or deprived of their rights in the name of system failure or man-made error in the payment processes,” it said.

    The union said that it was optimistic about the Tinubu’s administration’s commitment to pensioners.

    The NUP emphasised the significance of these reforms in improving the quality of life for retirees, particularly during challenging economic times.

    “We are grateful for the 20% pension increase and the ₦32,000 pension award that is today a minimum pension.

    “The approval of these measures is a testament to the government’s understanding of the economic realities facing pensioners and its determination to provide relief,” the union noted.

    As the administration continues its efforts to support pensioners, the NUP urged all stakeholders to work collaboratively to address the remaining issues.

    They expressed hope that ongoing reforms would ensure a brighter future for all retirees in Nigeria.

  • Pensioners hail governor

    Pensioners hail governor

    Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Ogun State chapter, has hailed Governor Dapo Abiodun for releasing N5.3billion gratuities to pensioners.

    The pensioners, in a commendation letter to the governor yesterday, jointly signed by Waheed Oloyede and Bola Lawal, chairman and secretary, said the gesture would reduce backlog of gratuities.

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    The pensioners said the state government had demonstrated sincerity of purpose and a deep sense of consideration toward the elderly, who have over the years been denied their entitlements.

    They appreciated the government’s prompt and regular payment of monthly pensions, which had afforded them the opportunity to plan for the procurement of some drugs.

  • Pensioners lament non-payment of wage award

    Pensioners lament non-payment of wage award

    The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) on Tuesday called on the Federal Government to fulfill its last year’s promise that N25,000 would be paid to them to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal.

    The retirees also called on President Bola Tinubu to issue a directive to the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission to release an enabling circular for the new “minimum pension” in line with the recently signed minimum wage law for workers.

    The government last year pledged that it would pay N35,000 and N25,000 to federal workers and the retirees respectively as wage awards for six months from October 2023 to cushion the effect of subsidy removal. 

    The spokesman of NUP, Bunmi Ogunkolade, explained that pensioners had made different appeals to the government through appropriate authorities but their pleas were yet to be attended to.

    He said: “We’ve written several letters to the ministry of humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation. We’ve paid different courtesy visit to the ministry, all to no avail. We were told that our matter was hanging because of what happened in the ministry.

    “We’ve also lodged our complaints to the national assembly. We met with the Chairman, House committee on Pension. We’re using this medium again to appeal to them, to give us the wage award and resolve the issue of minimum pension.”

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    The NUP spokesman, however, acknowledged that pensioners have received 20 per cent pension increment meant for January to August 2024 in their various bank accounts, while thanking the federal government on behalf of NUP about the development.

    He stated: “We are using this medium to appreciate the federal government being led by President Bola Tinubu for fulfilling his promise to effect a 20 per cent increment on the monthly pension of our members, this is unprecedented.

    “We hope that other two pending issues – palliative and ‘minimum pension’ as mentioned above would be attended to as well.”

  • We have lost 1,500 members to economic hardship – NUP

    We have lost 1,500 members to economic hardship – NUP

    • Says members receive N500 as monthly pension

    • Propose N100,000 as minimum pension

    The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) said it has lost 1, 500 of its members to economic hardship and poor monthly pension.

     The union said some of its members receive as low as N500 as a monthly pension, with pensioners from the South East at the receiving end of the poor pay. 

    National President of the NUP, Godwin Abumisi, and General Secretary, Elder Actor Zal said this during a press conference on Thursday.

     Abumisi said: “We have lost 1, 500 of our members to hardship. Just last week we traveled to Enugu to bury one of the staff who died. In Nigeria, the government doesn’t think about the poor people, they only think about themselves.

     “When we say this, it seems like we are crying wolf but it is the reality.”

     He said the union would hit the streets naked to protest the poor treatment of pensioners in the country. 

    The union proposed N100,000 as the National Minimum Pension to the Tripartite Committee raised by the Federal Government to negotiate the national minimum wage.

    The NUP president said: “It may sound incredible and absurd, but it is the naked fact that many of our members across the states of the Federation are still earning as low as N500, N1,000 as monthly pensions, particularly, in the South-East states of Nigeria. Others are Borno State N4000, Gombe N8,000, Jigawa N12,000, Katsina N7,000, Kogi N5000, Kwara N3000, Niger N4,000, Taraba N5,000, Yobe N4,500, Zamfara N3,000, Nasarawa N4,000, Osun N10,000, Ondo N3,000, Oyo N5,400, Enugu N450, Adamawa N2000, Kano N5,000.

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     “It is important to highlight here that the above pension rates are as low as shown above due to the non-harmonisation of pensions which the union has always made a case for, as well as the non-implementation and payment of the previously reviewed N18,000 minimum wage in 2010 and the N30,000 minimum wage in 2019 by many states of the federation.

    Sadly, the non-implementation of these salary reviews in the states has affected the corresponding increases in pensions in the various states under reference.  

    “NUP takes exception to and disagrees with the untenable excuses by the state governments that they cannot afford the implementation and payment of the previous wage reviews, even with the increase in federal allocation to states by the present administration under the able leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is unacceptable and unpardonable.

    “Therefore, given the above records, and in the interest of fairness and justice, we wish to propose the sum of One hundred thousand (100,000) naira as the National Minimum Pension to the Tripartite Committee in line with the proposed N200,000 National Minimum Wage by the NLC, as anything short of that would incur the wrath of the pensioners who are hard-hit by the prevailing economic hardship, occasioned by the ever-rising cost of living in a geometrical progression.

     “We have the authority of our members to call for a mass protest across the country, particularly in the capital city of Abuja if our demands are not being addressed by the Federal Government.“

    “Shamefully and embarrassingly too, even the so-called palliatives and the Wage Award of N25,000 promised by the Federal Government to pensioners and other vulnerable groups are yet to see the light of the day, leaving the hopeless, dejected, and frail pensioners who have little or no resources to take care of their needs to their fate.

    “With this humble submission, we are optimistic that our amiable President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would as a matter of urgency direct the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume to liaise with the leadership of NUP to send the names of their representatives in the Committee.

     “Remember that the Nigerian people have chosen and elected you over other qualified candidates during the last election because of your empathy and compassion towards people of low class. Therefore, as you listen to us by granting our heart desires (request), may the Almighty God in his infinite mercy continue to preserve you on the exalted seat of the Presidency to enable you realize your goal and fulfill your promises of the ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda to the people of Nigeria.”

  • Oyo pensioners call for emergency over N62.5b arrears

    Retirees under the aegis of Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) in Oyo State have called on Governor Seyi Makinde to as a matter of urgency declare a state of emergency on pension matters in view of the about N63 billion arrears being owned the pensioners by past administrations.

    The sum, which accounts for between eight to 56 months of unpaid pensions and gratuities, is been owed retired primary school teachers and local government pensioners.

    The pensioners spoke when about 1,000 members of the NUP in the state led by Acting Chairman Abimbola Abolade and state secretary Olusegun Abatan, staged a solidarity rally to the Governor’s Office, Agodi, Ibadan.

    Speaking on behalf of the pensioners, Abatan called for the upward review of the monies allocated to settling the arrears in the interest of the retirees.

    He said: “It is regrettable to inform your excellency that gratuities of workers, who retired in the year 2012, are just being paid in 2019. We strongly appeal that the monthly allocation to the Ministry of Establishment be increased to N500 million monthly to enable prompt payment of gratuities and pensions.

    “If you add all these arrears together, government’s indebtedness to Oyo State pensioners alone would be in the neighbourhood of N100 billion. It is this pertinent to urge your excellency to declare a state of emergency on pension matters.”

    Governor Makinde said his administration would give everything that is due to the pensioners under the law to them as and when due saying, however, that “in this journey, there are two parts’.

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    “Part one started on May 29, 2019. We have drawn a line there that from May 29, 2019, till the end of this –administration, whatever is due to you under the law, will be done for you.

    “So, what we are saying is that salaries of workers, pensions and all other statutory payments that government should pay, we will pay them as at when due.

    “But what had transpired before we came on board, we will roll them together, and look at how to deduct money in installments to offset the arrears. This is what I promised during the campaign. Whatever we can devote to it every month, we will devote it.

    “I must let you appreciate the position we are in in Oyo State, as of today. There is no hide-and-seek game in what we are doing inside the Governor’s Office. We will make it completely open. I want you to hold me accountable for that.

    “The Federal Allocation to Oyo State every month is N4.5 billion roughly. The wage bill is N5.5 billion. So, there is a gap of N1 billion. Our monthly internally generated revenue – even historical within one month and four days that we have spent in office, is roughly N2 billion. If we take N1 billion in the IGR to complete workers’ salaries, it remains N1 billion.

    “The contract I met on ground is that the consultant, collecting the IGR for the government, is being paid 20 per cent. So, the consultancy fee in the N2 billion is about N400 million. So, if we add N1billion to workers’ salaries and pay the consultant N400 million, what we have left is about N500 million to N600million. These exclude allocations to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

    “But don’t be scared, we have put all these factors into consideration before we decided that God should use us for the people of Oyo State. I told you the state of things so that you can appreciate our position. We are ready and able to tackle the challenges.”

  • Pension Union factionalised as new group seek government recognition

    A new faction of pensioners union, known as Federal Parastatals and Private Sector Pensioners Association of Nigeria (FEPPPAN) has applied to the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment for registration as a trade union representing the interest of Pensioners in the country.

    The application officially create  faction in the Pensioners Union, after the National Industrial Court dismissed an application by the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners seeking to stop the Minister of Labour and Registrar of Trade Unions from attending to them.

    Interim President of the factional Pensioners union, Chief Temple Ubani told a news conference in Abuja that they decided to form the new union as a result of what it described as unbearable neglect and unfair hostile treatment from the Nigeria Union of Pensioners on various issues.

    Ubani said they decided to put an end to the countless unattended complaints of its members and decided that as a way of pursuing peaceful coexistence with the NUP, it was better for them to form a union of their own.

    He said the NUP has failed to take care of “our welfare and interest and for lack of familiarity with our peculiar circumstances, we cannot be adequately represented by the NUP, who in her operation has never protected our interest even though they collect our monthly check off dues in millions of naira”.

    He said members of the new union are drawn from Federal Pensioners drawn from the following sectors: PHCN, Power, Health, Education, Universities, Transportation, Aviation’s, Banking, Finance, Telecommunications, Judiciary, and the Private Sector.

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    According to him, the “emergence of this new Pensioners’ Association is predicated on the need to have an Association that will squarely cater for the welfare and interests of all Federal Parastatals Pensioners’, especially considering the fact that the existing Nigeria Union of Pensioners (N UP) has in no small measure failed to take care of our welfare and interests and for lack of familiarity with our peculiar circumstances, we cannot be adequately represented by NUP.

    “For the records, we the Federal Parastatals and Private Sector Pensioners’ due to unbearable neglect and unfair hostile treatment by NUP on various issues over the years, decided to bring to an end countless unattended complaints of our members and in view to pursuing peaceful coexistence with NUP, deemed it necessary to be on our own.

    “At this junction, we clearly want to state that our move and intent in forming the new Pension union is within the limit of the Trade Union Act which is the law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that oversees all issues concerning Trade Union/ Association as the case may be.”

    Ubani disclosed that the NUP had kicked against the registration of the new union when they went to court; a move he said was dismissed by the court which held that the Minister has a right to register the union.

    “Consequently, we most respectfully urge the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment to please grant for the registration of FEPPPAN by the Registrar of Trade Union without further delay,” he said.

    Ubai commended President Muhammadu Buhari for always making money available to clear the monthly pension of pensioners and also appreciate Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) for sanitized pension regime, improve welfare of pensioners and prompt payment of monthly pensions.

  • Pensioners hail Buhari

    *Describes his administration as best in 14 years of contributory pension scheme

     

    Some retirees, under the aegis of Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Contributory Pension Scheme Sector (NUPCPS), have written to President Muhammadu Buhari, applauding his administration as the best they have seen in 14 years of the pension scheme.

    In a letter dated December 10, 2018, signed by the Chairman of the union, Comrade Sylva C. Nwaiwu, the pensioners said they were registering their “unanimous acknowledgement and commendation of the good performance” of the administration in the Contributory Pension Scheme sector in particular, and Nigerian Pension Industry in general.

    A statement by the Special Adviser on Media and publicity, Femi Adesina, said that the union disclosed that the consensus was reached during the union’s 3rd Post-inaugural Congress/Interactive Session with the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) held last month in Maitama, Abuja.

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    Distancing itself from partisan politicking, NUPCPS said the union was made of “elder statesmen and women who must stand for the truth, no matter whose ox is gored,” adding: “We owe no one any apology for expressing the truth we know about the good works of your administration.”

    The union said further: “Your administration inherited huge pension liabilities as a result of the excesses and recklessness of the previous administration which mismanaged pension funds meant for the payment of retirement benefits…Nevertheless, your contribution in just few years in office is one of the best we have seen in the 14 years of the existence of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) in our nation.

    “Your insight, determination, political will and commitment as demonstrated in the release of bailout funds to ameliorate the sufferings of Nigerian workers/pensioners is unequalled and highly appreciated by the union and other stakeholders.”

    The union also urged President Buhari to “complete the good work you have started” by authorizing additional bailout to clear the outstanding backlog from last year.

  • Wike’s govt owes 2,000 Rivers pensioners over N70b –NUP

    THE Rivers State government is owing the over 2,000 protesting members of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) in the state, under the contributory pension scheme, over N70 billion, the leadership of the union has said,.

    The spokesperson of the pensioners, Lucky Ati, who made the disclosure yesterday in Port Harcourt, urged persons still in service to join the protesting pensioners to fight the injustice, while noting that they might also suffer the same fate, upon retirement. He said: “We are suffering from the non-payment of our legitimate entitlements. People still in service should not behave as if the issue does not matter, since it does not concern them now.

    They should not forget that they will soon join us and be lamenting like us. “Leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) in Rivers State are not assisting the pensioners in fighting for their rights, despite their financial contributions to the two unions, while in active service. “The pension administrators are also not paying the pensioners who contributed to the contributory pension scheme, while in service.

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    “All we want now is that the Rivers State Contributory Pension Law must be abrogated. It is suffocating us. Many of us have died out of penury. Some of us are diabetic and suffering from all manner of diseases. Is it a crime to serve the state for 35 years?” Ati also stated that Governor Nyesom Wike had not fulfilled the promise he made in October this year that the Rivers State Contributory Pension Law would be abrogated, to pave way for a better arrangement.

    The Secretary of the Rivers State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ike Wigodo, while addressing the protesting pensioners at the Ernest Ikoli Press Centre of NUJ on Moscow Road, Port Harcourt, pleaded with Wike’s administration to look into the plight of the pensioners, who retired from the Rivers State civil service from 2015 to date. He condemned the non-payment of the pensions and gratuities of the senior citizens, stressing that having served Rivers State in various capacities with their youthful age, the pensioners deserve the benefits of their labour and should be paid forthwith. Wigodo lauded the protesting pensioners for their peaceful conduct, praying  that their years of service for Rivers State would not be in vain.

  • Stop Ngige from committing Illegality, Pensioners union tells Buhari

    Members of the Electricity Sector of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) have asked President Muhammadu Buhari to prevail on the Minister of Labour and Employment to desist from going against the laws of the land by registering another union to cater for the pie interest.

    The Labour Laws of the country does not allow foe the registration of a union to represent workers where a union already exists, but the union insists that the Minister is interfering in the internal affairs of the union and plan to register another union with the aim of divine the union.

    The pensioner who led a protest to the ministry of Labour and Employment also accused the Minister of prevailing on the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate to stop deducting check off from their Pension.

    They claimed that they have been reliably informed that the minister has concluded plans to register Chief Temple Ubani’s ESREWA to run parallel with the Nigeria Union of Pensioners.

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    Addressing journalists during the protest chairman of the NUP electricity sector branch, Alhaji Idi Bawa cautioned Dr Ngige “to desist from any act or acts that will not only bring his office to disrepute but also serve as a bad precedence in the annals of Trade Unionism.”

    Bawa explained that In defiance of disciplinary action taken against him in accordance with the regulations of the constitution, Chief Ubani and his cohorts voluntarily pulled out of the Union and formed an Association (ESREWA) to run parallel with the Union.

    He said, “Such an act if allowed is tantamount to illegality and against the rule of law.  In all circumstances, rule of law must prevail in accordance with the mantra of the present government.

    We are also reliably informed that the deductions of check-off dues was stopped by PTAD in contravention of Trade Unions Act section 17a&b, CAPT 17 of the 2004 at the intervention of the Hon. Minister.”