Anambra pensioners call for harmonisation

THE Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) in Anambra State has commended Governor Willie Obiano’s impressive achievements within the past six years and appealed for more attention to be given to them to enable them benefit from the government’s labour friendliness.

  Comrade Anthony Ugozor, the NUP state chairman, made the commendation in a press interview on the sidelines of the recent town hall meeting organised by the Professor Chukwuma Soludo-led ‘Vision 2070’ Committee at the Prof. Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre, Awka.

  He observed that the present administration had recorded a quantum leap in all sectors of the economy covering agriculture, industrialisation, trade and commerce, oil and gas, as well as infrastructural development of all parts of the state, coupled with prompt payment of salaries and pensions over the years since Governor Obiano took over power.

  Enumerating other areas the governor scored distinction marks, Comrade Ugozor listed the N20 million ‘Community Choose Your Project’ initiatives which had immensely transformed all the 179 communities in the state, in addition to maximum security of lives and property that largely contributed in making the state very attractive to both local and foreign investors.

He noted that Governor Obiano performed marvelously in the areas of infrastructural development and economic empowerment of women and youths with liberalised loans to establish their own businesses which had also boosted the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the state.

  The NUP henchman however, regretted that the government had not tackled the vexed issue of harmonisation of pension to enable people who retired on the same salary grade levels to earn equal emoluments, which the union had been complaining about and seeking redress since many years ago.

  “As far as pensioners in the state are concerned, we are not really happy due to the terribly embarrassing disparities in payment of pensioners and it is very appalling that some people earn as low as N2000 monthly which is like silent killing of the concerned senior citizens,” he lamented, and appealed for urgent action in that direction by the government.

  The NUP boss further requested the governor to extend the joy of good governance to the pensioners through the harmonization exercise pointing out that the aged pensioners were eagerly waiting for his humane and fatherly intervention in that direction to ameliorate their presently deplorable situation.

  He advised the concerned members of the NUP who receive lower than their counterparts to remain calm, exercise patience and be prayerful, as he (chairman) strongly believe that Governor Obiano would soon redress the matter in the interest of equity, justice and fairness in line with the government’s kind disposition to the welfare of workers in the state.           .