Cross River Pensioners Call on Gov Otu to Upgrade Payments
Pensioners and other retirees from Cross River State, Nigeria, have pleaded with the executive governor of the state, Senator Bassey Otu, to harmonise their pensions with the current national minimum wage.
The retirees noted that their pensions were last reviewed in 2014, despite the recent increases in the national minimum wage by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
value of the naira.
The retirees noted that their pensions were last reviewed in the year 2014, despite an old increment in the national minimum wage by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Speaking through one of the radio stations in Calabar, the Chairman of the Cross River State Retirees Association, Dr Daniel Effiong, made the appeal on Sparkling Frequency Modulation.
He said some members of the association are currently receiving N4,000 monthly, which, he said, was not sufficient to meet basic demand.
He also alleged that many former workers had yet to receive their gratuities several years after leaving the state civil service commission.
“We appeal to Governor Otu to harmonise pensions in the state,” he said. The last time pensions were reviewed was in 2014. Many retirees were screened, yet several have not received their gratuities or regular monthly pensions,” Effiong said.
While pleading with the state government, Daniel Effiong lauded the efforts of the present administration for promising to release another tranche of gratuity payments before December 2026, following the N10 billion paid by the state government about two years ago.
Effiong said the failure to adjust pensions amid rising living costs had left many elderly retirees struggling to survive.
“You need to see the pathetic condition of aged pensioners. Those without investments, children or other sources of income are dying. He said that landlords had ejected some tenants over unpaid rents, while others faced constant harassment from creditors.
He recalled that successive administrations had promised to address the pension crisis but said the problem persisted.
“If former Governor Ben Ayade had started effectively, it would have been easier for his successor, Governor Otu,” the Chairman said
