South West NUP Rejects Parallel Pensioners’ Association, Says Registration Illegal

By Ayodele Oni

The South-West zone of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP) has accused officials in the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment of approving registration of a parallel association for pensioners without due process.

Speaking at the South-West zonal meeting of the union held in Akure, Ondo State, the Secretary of the NUP and Public Relations Officer of the South-West Zone, Comrade Dr. Olusegun Abatan, condemned the registration of the National Association of State Retirees of Nigeria, alleging that the process was carried out by overzealous officials in the Ministry of Labour and Employment without due process.

He argued that the registration violated the Trade Union Act, which prohibits the creation of a parallel union where an existing union already caters for the same category of workers or retirees.

Abatan maintained that the constitution of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners already covers all categories of retirees, including federal pensioners, state pensioners, local government retirees, pensioners from statutory corporations, paramilitary agencies and those under the contributory pension scheme.

“If the Nigeria Union of Pensioners already caters for state retirees, there is no justification for creating another parallel association. We reject it and call on the Ministry of Labour to withdraw the registration immediately,” he stated.

He further disclosed that pensioners’ forums in the 19 northern states, the South-West and the South-East had all condemned the registration.

The union also accused the Registrar of Trade Unions, Shaib Rabiu, of allegedly facilitating the registration without proper consultation, while warning pensioners nationwide not to join the new association.

Abatan stated that the union would seek legal redress if the registration was not withdrawn

The union scribe also decried the persistent delay in the payment of pensions to federal pensioners and state pensioners with federal shares, describing the development as cruel and unacceptable for senior citizens who depend largely on pensions for survival and medical care.

He revealed that pensioners across the country were worried over the continuous delay in pension payments.

According to him, it had become common for pensioners to receive their monthly pensions far into the following month, a situation he said was unbearable for elderly citizens who rely on the money for medication and daily survival.

Abatan appealed to the Federal Government to prioritise prompt payment of pensions, stressing that proper welfare for retirees would also help reduce corruption in public service.

“If government truly wants to reduce corruption in Nigeria, pensioners must be treated well. When serving workers see retired senior officers languishing in poverty after decades of service, they may be tempted to misuse public resources while still in office,” he said.