Nigerian Pensioners are angry over the non-payment of fuel subsidy removal palliative to them.
It would be recalled that President Bola Tinubu offered them the palliative last October.
The pensioners are unhappy that though workers have been paid the palliative, they were yet to get it.
They even more angry over the alleged sleaze at the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management under the suspended Minister, Betty Edu.
Yesterday, Tinubu suspended Edu, following widespread anger over an alleged N585 million scandal, according to the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Ajuri Ngelale, in a statement.
The National Union of Pensioners (NUP) yesterday cried out to the President that pensioners did not receive any cash from the ministry.
It said this was contrary to Tinubu’s directive, authorising the ministry to pay N25,000 wage award to serve as palliative for pensioners.
The President had on last October 1 (Independence Day) announced that intervention funds of N35,000 be paid for six months to Federal workers. The workers have since been receiving the money while pensioners are yet to get it.
In an interview, NUP’s spokesperson affirmed that as at yesterday, no pensioner had been paid the palliative.
He said they are more worried with allegations of corruption levelled against the minister.
Ogunkolade said the ministry had been asking for documents from the union and they have been providing those available to them.
He said: “The ministry has been asking for different documents from the union and they have been providing those available to them. Yet, we keep telling them to liaise with other government agencies like the National Pension Commission (PenCom) and the Pension Transitional Arrangement Department (PTAD), both of which have been paying pensions to us and have our information.
“With the news on financial impropriety, we are almost losing fate that we will ever get the money. It saddens out heart that some government officials just want to steal pension money at any slightest opportunity.
“We call on the President to intervene so that the money can be released by the ministry and we can be paid.’’
He stressed that pensioners were the most affected by the inflation, following the removal of fuel subsidy.
“Pensioners are worse hit by the rise in price of goods in the market because of the meagre pension majority of them are paid monthly. Pensioners go to the same market with other able-bodied workers. They are also special breed because most of them depend on regular drugs due to their age. This is because they are prone to high blood pressure, diabetes, old age sicknesses, among others. That is why we are always appealing to governments to take care of these special people.
