Association of Nigeria Universities Contributory Pension Retirees (ANUCOPER) has called on Federal Government to as a matter of urgency prevail on the National Pension Commission (Pen-Com) to without further delay begin the implemention of the 33 per cent increase minimum pension as approved by the government since 2011.
The ANUCOPER, which is the main organ of all the Retirees of Federal Universities in Nigeria who retired under the Contributory Pension Scheme, said swift implentation of the increase becomes necessary following the recent release of N54billion to the commission for onward disbursement for retirees.
The Chairman of the Kwara State branch of ANUCOPER who doubles as Assistant National Secretary of the association, Mallam Ibrahim Adepoju made the call on Thursday (Match 22, 2018) in Ilorin during an interview with highprofile crew.
Adepoju however commended President Muhammadu Buhari for the release of N54 billion for onward payment of outstanding arrears of retirees under the pencom scheme.
Adepoju who described the fund released by the government as a good omen to the Universities’ retirees, called on the management of the Pen-com not to delay the disbursement of the money to the would-be beneficiaries across the country.
Adepoju said the payment of 33 per cent increase of pension scheme and 15 per cent increase on monthly pension scheme should be followed to the letter to make life more bearable for the retirees.
He explained that the need to implement the approved 33 per cent increase becomes necessary considering the current economic downturn which has sent some retirees to their early grave.
Adepoju lamented that it is saddened that seven years after the approval of the minimum pension in 2011 by the government, the money is yet to be implemented for the retirees whom the money was intended.
He revealed that it is unspeakable and barbaric to tell the public that some of them are still collecting between N5,000 and N3,000 as monthly pension up till this moment, a situation he described as human-inhuman treatment by the authority of the pen-com.
Adepoju therefore appealed to the pencom authority to fulfil the five years salary increase review as approved by the pension Act, saying that it is very appalling that his members were left out in the successive salary increase in 2004, 2011, and up till date.
“The percentage increase was subsequently slashed from 53.37 percent to 33 percent. The percentage increase is with effect from 2009. Our counterpart who retired under the old Pension Scheme were all paid the 33 perrcent Pension Increase in 2015 whike those of them who retired under the new Contributory Pension Scheme had been waiting patiently.
“In 2011, Minimum Pension was approved to improve the prevailing negligible and meagre monthly pension of those of us who retired under the Contributory Pension Scheme. A situation where majority of Pensioners under the ContributoryPension Scheme earn less than N10,000 as monthly pension for the past 10 years is not only appauling but very disheartening” Adepoju lamented.
He however called on association of Vice Chancellors of Federal Universities in Nigeria to as a matter of priority scrapped off the contributory system, saying that the idea is killing and making the retirees to be wallowing in abject poverty after serving the country meritoriously for 35 years.
Adepoju opined that the new pen-com be scrapped and go back to old pension scheme if the new contributory pension scheme will continue to subjugate and impoverish the alrealdy incapacitated retirees.
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