NAN-ND-2
Board
By Isaiah Eka
Uyo, April 9, 2017 (NAN) The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Akwa Ibom chapter, has called for the establishment of a pension board to cater for all categories of pensioners in the state.
The Secretary of NUP in the state, Mr Cosmos Essien, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Uyo on Sunday.
Essien said that the existing Local Government Pension Board in the state cater for only local government retirees.
He said the desired pension board, when established, would handle pension of primary school teachers as well as those that retired from the state’s civil service and local governments.
Essien expressed the hope that the board would meet the challenges currently faced by pensioners in the state.
The NUP scribe also appealed to the state government to harmonise pensions in the state.
Essien said harmonisation had become necessary so that those that retired years back and others that retired recently could receive the same amount as pension.
“We still cry for harmonisation so that the very old people that retired earlier can get something reasonable like their counterparts who retired recently.
“We all buy from the same market.
“As it is today, someone who retired earlier on salary grade level 10 receives N1,500 monthly but another one who retired two years ago on the same grade level receives much more,” he said.
He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for releasing another tranche of the Paris Club refunds to states.
Essien, however, appealed to state governments to utilise the money judiciously and pay the arrears of pensions and gratuities of their retirees so as to reduce their burden. (NAN)
IE/EMO/OJO
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(Edited by Ejike Obeta/Mufutau Ojo)