The Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP) has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the alleged non-payment of the ₦75,000 fuel subsidy removal palliative approved for vulnerable Nigerians, including pensioners.
The union said that nearly three years after the Federal Government announced the three-month ₦25,000 monthly payment in October 2023, none of its members had received the approved palliative.
In an appeal letter to the President, the NUP called for the immediate release of the outstanding payment, saying pensioners had been among those hardest hit by the rising cost of food, medication, transportation and electricity.
A statement signed by the NUP General Secretary, Comrade Godwin Amadin, said pensioners initially received the approval with “joy and renewed hope,” believing the intervention would provide much-needed relief.
“However, we are constrained to inform Your Excellency that no single pensioner has been paid this approved palliative to date,” the union said.
According to the NUP, many of its members served the country for 35 years or more under specialised public service conditions and are now struggling with the increasing cost of basic necessities.
The union said the ₦75,000 payment would have provided significant assistance to pensioners, particularly with the cost of food, medication and other essential needs.
It therefore urged President Tinubu to direct the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO) to commence payment of the palliative to pensioners nationwide.
The NUP also noted that the payment had reportedly been made to civil servants, describing the continued exclusion of pensioners as a matter requiring urgent government attention.
The union said it had already submitted verified data to NASSCO to facilitate a “seamless, transparent, and direct payment” to eligible pensioners.
While commending the Tinubu administration for the regular payment of monthly pensions and the recent approval of ₦25 billion for pension harmonisation and other pension arrears, the NUP urged the government to extend the same commitment to the outstanding palliative.
The pensioners expressed confidence in the administration’s “Renewed Hope Agenda” and appealed to President Tinubu to urgently intervene to restore hope and dignity to senior citizens.
