The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has urged the President-elect, Senator Bola Tinubu, to establish a ministry tasked exclusively with resolving the problems faced by retirees in the nation.
The decision was taken by the NUP’s South-West zone on Thursday following its quarterly meeting in Abeokuta.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the meeting was held by NUP secretaries and chairmen from the states of Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Osun, Lagos, and Ekiti.
Olusegun Abatan, the zone’s NUP public relations officer, told reporters after the conference that the creation of the ministry would improve the situation for retirees nationwide.
Abatan called on Tinubu to do more for pensioners when he assumed office as president.
“President Muhammadu Buhari has done quite a lot for pensioners. He really helped them and so we are appealing to Tinubu to please give the matter of pensioners serious attention.
“We want a separate ministry that will be solely addressing matters that have to do with pensioners under the administration of Tinubu,” he said.
Abatan alleged that governors of South-West states were owing pensioners in the zone huge sums as gratuities and pensions.
He urged all the governors in the zone to implement the consequential adjustment and the 35 per cent increment in pensions without further delay.