22 August 2015, Bauchi – The Nigeria Union of Pensioners in Bauchi State has said seven members of the electricity sector of the union have died as a result of the nonpayment of their pension arrears and other allowances.
Chairman of the Union, Bauchi State chapter, Mallam Isa Olanrewaju, said this during during a peaceful demonstration of the union members on Friday in Bauchi.
Oranrewaju added that four of their members had been paralysed and were bedridden due to the nonpayments of their entitlements.
He said, “The little dues that our mother union in Abuja sends to us, we use it to settle our colleagues’ medical bills. Some of them are bedridden and seven of them have died since this struggle began. Just last week, two of our members died.
“We have been suffering for almost four years. The past government of Goodluck Jonathan joined us with NELMCO company to be paying us. I think we enjoyed that company only for one year; after that, we entered into problems. We have not been paid for seven months. We demonstrated in the past and they paid us three months; since then, nothing has been paid.
“We have not been paid our harmonisation arrears from 2003 till date, monetisation arrears is there, 49 months electricity rebate is still not settled and 120 per cent increase arrears for 65 months have not been paid.
“Last year, we went to Benin City for a meeting. We learnt that NELMCO was given N16bn by the Federal Government to settle all those arrears, but up until today, nothing has been done about it. That is why we came out to protest peacefully because we are really suffering.
“We are begging the new President Muhammudu Buhari whom God has sent, to save us from this suffering that we are facing as a result of the nonpayment of our entitlements.
– Punch