The pensioners of the Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Company Plc, have sent a Save Our Soul (SOS) to President Muhammadu Buhari through the Nigeria Union of Pensioners.
The pensioners split into two groups including one that falls under the Mint pay roll but are grossly under paid, and the second group which is refused admission into pension.
The first group, which comprises 632 who retired at different times from 1991 to 2005 and have worked between 15 to 35 years and have reached top management level of service.
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The groups impediment is the erroneous computing of their gratuity and pension as recognised by the Pension Act Cap 346 of 1990 rather the Mint’s resort to use of the pension trust deed against the above Pension Act.
With the implementation of the deed, some of them have received and are still receiving N1,000 only per month.
The highest paid pensioner, who put in 34 to 35 years, receives 6.8 per cent of what is legitimately due to them contrary to the Federal Government Pension Act.
This group pleads with President Buhari to put a stop to the bitter experience they have been subjected to for years. The pensioners on the pay roll are 632 while the arrears of payment due from 1991 to November 2016 is as follows: Pension – N10,222,551,203.17; gratuity (which is static despite the levels) – N214,719,189,17 and the total amount is N10,437,270,392,57.
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According to the report, members of the second group who have been refused admission into pension on the ground that they have not served up to 15 years are 369 in number.
Those belonging to this group stated that they have worked for 10 to 14 years before retirement and according to the Federal Government Act Cap of 1990, those who have put in 10 years are admissible to pension.
The group also cited that 12 of them were seconded to the Mint from the Nigerian Army, having put in 11- 12 years in the Army. After moving to Mint, they put in another 11-12 years before they were retired. The irony remains that after serving the nation for 23-24 years, they have been denied their pension.
The pensioners claimed that their gratuities have been paid after the intervention of a mediation team comprising the late Justice Kayode Eso of the Supreme Court through retired Prof. Itse Sagay and retired Justice Tajudeen Odunowo.
The mediation team stressed that pension was a matter for the Federal Government.
The two groups are pleading with the president to use his good offices to tackle this long outstanding pension as the Mint claims not to have been paid. They implore the President to evoke his presidential prerogative on the Pension Transitional Management Directorates (PTAD) as it will be of great relief.
This was contained in a statement signed by Ekpo T. Iyang and Elder Abraham Odus, the Chairman and Treasurer respectively.