*Says that pensioners are dying without their benefits
Vincent Toritseju
Lagos — The Nigerian Ports Authority Pensioners Welfare Association, NPAPWA, has threatened to petition the Presidency if urgent steps were not taken to revert the Bank of Industry, BoI, building located on Marina Street in Lagos, to the NPA.
Speaking to Sweetcrudereports, the General Secretary of the NPAPWA, Ambrose Duru, said the group has written to the Ministry of Transportation over the matter hoping that itwill take up the issue and ensure that the property was returned to the Superannuation or Legacy Fund of the NPA.
Duru also disclosed that the management of the NPA has written to the minister on the same issue, adding that the minister was yet to respond or react to the matter as at the time of filling this report.
He explained that money from the superannuation fund was used to build the ship house currently occupied by the Ministry of Defence in Abuja and the pensioners are currently dying without enjoying the benefits of their investment.
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He said: “We are not quarrelling with anybody, what we are doing is to demand for our right. This Fund is from the NPA pensioners’ Superannuation Fund/ Legacy Fund and this money invested in the ship house was part of the fund and the reason for the investment is not being realized.
“The reason for investing in that ship house was for a purpose but the purpose is not being realized and pensioners are dying.
“So it is up to us to ask the minister to take up this matter and how they can compensate us by giving us back the war college which is currently occupied by Bank of Industry and then pay us accrued arrears of rents collected on the property so that the Superannuation Fund can be boosted.
“We are following the procedure by writing to the minister to act on it, we have written to the Minister of Transport on two occasions on this matter.
“We are waiting for the minister to call us to meeting so that we can have a heart to heart discussion over this matter and find a lasting solution to it.”
Recall that in a bid to enhance the financial profile of its Superannuation Fund, the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, had before now written to the Minister of Transportation requesting that the Bank of Industry, BoI building be returned to the Fund.
Speaking to Vanguard Maritime Report in Lagos Managing Director of the NPA, Ms Hadiza Bala Usman, said that the authority has written to the Ministry asking that the property be returned to the NPA’s Superannuation Fund.
