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By Tunde Thomas
Frustrated with the seeming lukewarm attitude to their plight, contributory pensioners in Lagos State have decided to add fasting and prayers to their conventional struggle to better their lots.
The pensioners under the aegis of Association of Retirees and PFA Pensioners on Thursday held a day of interdenominational fasting and prayer at different centres across the state.
This measure, according to the President of the Association, Comrade Michael Omisande, was resorted to after the members who are under the contributory pension scheme have exhausted all human efforts to seek solution to their problems.
He lamented that many members of the association have died without receiving their entitlements from the government.
According to Omisande, the problems confronting the pensioners include ridiculous payment of pension, delay in payment of gratuities and lack of functional health insurance for members among others.
“Our monthly pension is scandalously meagre compared to that of our Defined Benefit Scheme counterparts. For instance, a deputy director of Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) collects an average of N50,000 monthly, while his counterparts on Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS) receives an average of N200,000”, Omisande lamented.
He therefore sought an increment in the monthly pay to enable pensioners on CPS live a meaningful life.
He also complained about the small amount released for payment of monthly bond, leading to backlog stretching to many years. He said many died while waiting for their turn to be paid. He therefore appealed for increase in the allocation to payment of bond. The body has already sent a memorandum on amendment of existing contributory pension law to the Lagos State House of Assembly.
