Pensioners in Delta, demand 99-months pension arears from Okowa

Delta State Council of the National Union of Pensioners (NUP) has criticised the Delta State government for failing to fully implement the 33 per cent pension increase agreed to in 2010 as well as for non-clearance of the arrears of 99 months.

The pensioners, who rose from an emergency meeting, also demanded the payment of the 54 months arrears of consequential adjustment of their monthly pay occasioned by the N30,000 minimum wage awarded to serving workers since 2019.

The NUP, in a statement by its chairman, S.M. Savbede, said that the state government only paid the increment for October 2019, leaving out the outstanding arrears, which have since accumulated to 99 months.

Savbede said that although the 33 percent increment was granted to all pensioners across the board irrespective of dates of retirement and salary grade level, the state government made a selective and non-comprehensive payment.

“The state government only paid pensioners who retired before the year 2000 the 33 per cent increment, while those who retired after the year 2000 on salary grade level 01 – 06 were paid 20 per cent with those on salary grade level 07-16 paid 15 per cent. 

“We are therefore pleading with Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to, as a matter of urgency, have a change of mind and implement the 33 per cent pension increase awarded in July 2010 across the board, like other state governments in the federation. This is aside from paying the outstanding arrears of 99 months,” he stated.

On the consequential adjustment, resulting from the new minimum wage, he said that while the Federal Government fully implemented it in two installments, the state government was in arrears of 54 months.

“The above-stated increases are our legitimate demands. The Delta State government should please pay us all our money as the pensioners also buy in the same market with other people,” he said.