- Musa expressed concern over the challenges faced by retirees
The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has revealed that some retirees in the country are still receiving a meager N500 monthly pension.
Alhassan Musa, the NUP secretary in Kaduna State, described the situation as “pathetic” during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday.
Musa highlighted the dire conditions faced by many pensioners who had devoted their lives to serving the nation. He noted that the most affected are retirees in some Southern and oil-producing states, despite the significant allocations these states receive from the federation account.
“Pensioners in some Northern states and the FCT fare slightly better, receiving between N3,500 and N18,000 monthly pensions,” Musa stated. However, he praised Kaduna State for setting a positive example by implementing a N30,000 minimum pension since 2020 under former Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
Musa called for a 50% increase in the minimum pension to align with the country’s current socio-economic realities, especially in light of the proposed N70,000 national minimum wage. He argued that pensioners should benefit equally with workers, urging the federal and state governments to ensure no pensioner earns below N70,000.
He also encouraged Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State to be the first to implement the N70,000 minimum pension, following in the footsteps of his predecessor.
Additionally, Musa expressed concern over the challenges faced by retirees under the contributory pension scheme, calling for more support to improve their well-being.
Discussion about this post