It’s few days to inauguration of Nigeria’s next president, and many organisations are already making demands from Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Everyone is looking in Tinubu’s direction, but one set of people who are not often in the eye of most administrations are pensioners.
Now, the South-West chapter of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) is asking the president-elect to develop policies that will raise the standard of living for its members when he takes over.
The NUP wants Tinubu to make sure that the wellbeing of the retirees is his administration’s top priority.
The pensioners made the appeal after their zonal conference in Akure, the capital of Ondo State.
The meeting was attended by the union officers from Osun, Lagos, Ogun, Ekiti, Oyo and Ondo States.
It was held in Akure, the capital of Ondo State.
Pensioners-friendly Government
On behalf of the union, Comrade Olusegun Abatan praised the departing administration.
He said pensioners had received excellent welfare benefits over the course of the last eight years and urged Tinubu to imitate the action.
Comrade Abatan is also the Secretary of the Oyo State NUP.
Abatan stated: “Of all Nigerian presidents, Muhammadu Buhari has been the most pensioners-friendly in terms of resolving our issues and upholding the constitutional requirement that if employees’ pay increases, pensions, likewise, get an increase.
“We appreciate him for that.
“We are also using this opportunity to appeal to the incoming President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to please take the steps that will make him a pensioners-friendly president also, and improve on what President Buhari has done for us”.
Also, the organisation wants him to be good to pensioners, as he takes the mantle of leadership of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on May 29.
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The NUP praised Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, the governor of Ondo State, for being the first governor in Nigeria to approve the consequential adjustment to retiree pensions.
However, they want other governors in the southwest to follow suit.
Also, Abatan appealed to the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress in several states to consistently support NUP in protecting pensioners’ interests.
“The governor has started paying the consequential adjustment and has also improved on what he met on ground, to that extent, the national headquarters of NUP will give Governor Akeredolu an award during the NEC meeting coming soon,” he stated.