President Bola Tinubu has been requested by the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) to direct the payment of the N75,000 palliative grant for needy Nigerians after the gasoline subsidy was eliminated in 2023.
The union said that none of its members had gotten the N25,000 monthly three-month compensation three years after the Federal Government authorised the payment.
In a letter addressed to the President and signed by Comrade Godwin Amadin, the NUP’s general secretary, the demand was made.
According to the union, the palliative was authorised in October 2023 as part of steps to lessen the impact on disadvantaged Nigerians, including as pensioners, of the withdrawal of fuel subsidies.
It said the approval was initially received by pensioners “with joy and renewed hope”, given the economic difficulties confronting senior citizens.
The NUP, however, said the continued delay in payment had compounded the hardship faced by pensioners amid rising costs of food, drugs, transportation and electricity.
ALSO READ: SUBSIDY: Tinubu Rejects Populism, Focuses on Fixing Economy — Morka
“However, we are constrained to inform Your Excellency that no single pensioner has been paid this approved palliative to date,” the union said.
According to the pensioners, many of their members served the country for 35 years or more under specialised public service conditions and deserved the relief.
The union said the N75,000 payment would have provided some relief for beneficiaries in meeting their basic needs, particularly food and medical expenses.
It therefore appealed to Tinubu to direct the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office to commence the payment to pensioners nationwide.
The union also expressed concern that the palliative had already been paid to civil servants “almost three years ago”, while pensioners were yet to benefit from the scheme.
The NUP said it had submitted verified data to NASSCO to facilitate “seamless, transparent, and direct payment” to eligible pensioners.
The union commended the President for ensuring regular payment of monthly pensions and for approving N25bn for the implementation of pension harmonisation and the settlement of other pension arrears.
It appealed to the administration to extend the same intervention to the outstanding palliative, saying its payment would help alleviate the hardship pensioners are experiencing. ChoosePOS Systems
“We have absolute confidence in your ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’, and your commitment to ‘leaving no one behind’,” the union said, urging the President to intervene in the matter urgently.
