NAMA pensioners protest unpaid arrears

Retired workers of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency under the Contributory Pensioners Union of Nigeria have demanded the immediate payment of outstanding pension increases and arrears, lamenting that some have waited for more than two decades to receive their entitlements.

This was contained in a petition jointly signed by the NAMA Branch Chairman and Secretary, Olopade Stephen and Lawal Wasiu, respectively, on Thursday.

The CPUN, NAMA branch, in a letter to the agency’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, said the prolonged delay had subjected elderly retirees to hardship, uncertainty and financial distress.

Recalled that the senior citizen had earlier lamented that 1,000 retirees of the agency were still awaiting their pension benefits years after exiting service, as they decry the prolonged delay and urge the Federal Government to urgently intervene.

In July, they appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the lingering non-payment of pension increase arrears.

Then, they told The PUNCH that the affected pensioners, who transitioned from the Defined Benefits Scheme to the Contributory Pension Scheme following the enactment of the Pension Reform Act, had not received pension increments since 2007.

In their latest petition, the union made four demands, including immediate payment of the appropriate pension increases, settlement of accumulated arrears, a definite payment schedule and urgent intervention that takes into account the age and welfare of the affected pensioners.

According to them, the computation of the outstanding pension increases and arrears has been completed by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission and submitted to NAMA for implementation.

Related News

• Ododo defends Kogi airport project, challenges critics
• Alliance with Tinubu will boost Accord chances – Gombe coordinator
• Power conference rescheduled to align with FG reforms

The union, however, expressed concern that payment had yet to commence despite the completion of the process.

Highlighting the precarious circumstances of retirees who depend on their pensions for food, accommodation, medical treatment and other essential needs, the union said,“Many of the affected pensioners are now over 70 years of age, while some have been retired since 2008 or earlier.”

They further added that some of the pensioners had died while waiting for the benefits and adjustments due to them.

The retirees warned that further delays were unacceptable, particularly as the relevant calculations had reportedly been completed and forwarded to the agency.

“The Contributory Pensioners Union of Nigeria (NAMA Branch) writes to formally and unequivocally demand the immediate commencement of payment of the appropriate pension increases and all outstanding arrears due to our members,” the letter stated.

“It is therefore deeply distressing that, after waiting for more than twenty years, these elderly pensioners should continue to face uncertainty over payments that have already been subjected to the relevant computation process.

“The Union respectfully submits that another indefinite delay is neither reasonable nor acceptable, particularly after pensioners have waited for more than two decades and the relevant computation has already been submitted to the Agency.”

Aside from demanding immediate payment of the increases and arrears, the union asked NAMA management to provide a clear implementation timeline and handle the matter with the urgency warranted by the retirees’ advanced age and financial vulnerability.