Plight of pensioners under PTAD

Sir: When are we going to get our priorities right? When will our pensioners be treated well and honoured by our governments? As at June 8, 2017, pensioners under the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) have not yet received their May 2017 pension. On enquiry, the reason given is that no monetary allocation has been made to PTAD. However, workers in service have been paid their May 2017 salaries whilst pensioners have not been paid yet everyone goes to the same market. Apart from money for feeding, what of medication and other incidents of living.

I use this medium to appeal to the Federal Government to direct the Ministry of Finance to immediately release money to PTAD to pay pensioners their May 2017 pension. It is not only wicked but callous and insensitive to deprive or to delay pensioners’ monthly pension. They should not be made to bear the brunt of recession having served their fatherland loyally and meritoriously. Or is the Federal Government surreptitiously trying to close down PTAD by starving pensioners to death since Section 38 of the Pension Reform Act, 2004 provides that PTAD shall cease to exist upon the death of the last pensioner under the defined benefits scheme.

Workers seeing what is happening to pensioners would be encouraged to steal money for their retirement day. What a way to fight corruption!

Ime Udo wrote from Abuja.