By: Vitalis Ugoh, Calabar:
Over 100 retirees of the New Nigerian Newspapers, a former federal government parastatal until 2006, have sent a passionate appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari to as a matter of priority implement the court judgement ordering that they be paid arrears of their pensions/gratuity.
The retirees had in 2013 won a judgement in their favour, but uptill now the Federal Ministry of Justice and Information had refused to implement the court order.
Speaking through Deltanewsroom.com some of the retirees said the passionate appeal became necessary because so many of their colleagues have lost their lives or have no capacity to maintain their family day to day demands.
Also information has it that some of them are facing very critical health challenges which involves hundreds of Naira to handle but have remained bed-ridden due to lack of funds.
In a telephone chat to some in Lagos, Enugu, Owerri, Karina and Sokoto, they described their present predicament as worrisome and if nothing is done to redress it, the story might be worst.
Worst still, are situation where some their members have been abandoned by their families because they cannot provide towards the up keep of their families, it was gathered.
“Some of us retired since 2000, 16 years after and have never received one kobo as pension. The court ruling was in our favour but the immediate past President Goodluck Jonathan became our problem as he did not direct the relevant ministries to implement the judgement, they retorted”.
They expressed surprise why those who retired few years ago were yet to receive their monthly pension having being told that PENCOM or the newly established Pensions Transition Fund Committee was now in charge of the matter.
They commended the management and staff of the New Nigerian Newspapers on their relentless efforts in pursuing this case but urged them to do more to save those who had given all their lives to serve the nation from dying in vein.
They appealed to Buhari to give their plea a listening ear by directing all the relevant ministries to implement the court judgement to add succour to the families of the retirees.
While praying to Almighty God to keep him and his ministers alive, they hope that their appeal would be given the necessary attention it deserves.
Effort to reach the chairman and secretary of the retirees association, Mallam Idi Sule and Barrister Iweka for their comments on this matter, was not successful.
However sources from their Kaduna base, said the duo are working very hard to see that Federal government implements the court judgement.
More retirees are expected to join the remaining figure as stated above and the problem will continue to exist without solution.”
