Pensioners of the defunct Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL) on Wednesday appealed to the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) to pay the N3 billion arrears owed its members since 2008.
Mr Patrick Azu, the President of Pension Welfare Association of NNSL, made the appeal in Lagos during the association’s protest to demand for the payment of their pension arrears and to also reinstate its members in the Federal Government Pension Payroll.
According to him, its members have not received any payment after the payment of five years arrears in 2008.
”Out of about 1000 that were abruptly retired at the defunct of Nigerian National Shipping Line Ltd. (NNSL), only 800 of us are still alive.
”Some of our members died just because they did not have money to go for basic medical checkup at the hospitals.
”Some cannot even attend this meeting due to financial and health challenges.
”We have made several trips to Abuja, tasking our members out of nothing, to submit all our members’ files to PTAD.
”We just want PTAD to come for the verification of our members.
”Once the verification is done, we will be hopeful that within two weeks, we will be paid the arrears,” he said.
Azu said that the appeal became necessary to let Nigerians know that “our members are dying and incapacitated daily due to hardship and no money.”
He said that some of the members were young when they were retired abruptly and that holding on to what was due to them up to this moment amounted to injustice.
One of the members, 84-year-old Alhaji Shita Sanni, said that it was only God that had kept him all these years without money to look after himself.
”I cannot describe how l feel about the non-payment of our pension arrears.
”When l think of it, I shed tears.
”I am here joining hands with my fellow pensioners begging PTAD to pay the arrears on time so that at least l will eat out of the fruit of my labour,” he said.
Mr Mathew Anamanya, another 76-year-old pensioner, said that he just managed to be at the protest ground to join his colleagues to bring their plight to the nation.
”I am not 100 per cent okay as l am still on medication.
”I have an appointment at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital on Jan. 28 for a laboratory test after which l will see the doctor.
”To get money for the treatment, l have to go round begging for money, but if l have my pension, l can comfortably treat myself.
”The way PTAD has treated us is not good and I hope after this protest they will pay us our arrears.
”All of us here served our country during our youthful years, but we are now suffering when we need money most to take care of basic needs,” he said.
Anamanya said that all they were asking for was the payment of their arrears and for them to start receiving monthly pensions as due to them as Federal Government staff.
Mr Solomon Nyorere, the Chairman of the Pensioners Protest Committee, said that the association had submitted all the requirements of its members to PTAD.
”We are expecting them to tell us the date they will come for verification and capture all our members’ biometrics.
”This will give us the assurance that few weeks after the verification exercise our arrears will be paid,” he said.
A senior official of PTAD said that the directorate was working on the complaints and would soon clear all the outstanding pension arrears including those of the shipping line.
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