Pensioners in Nigeria are struggling due to the scarcity of the naira, which they blame on the Federal Government’s policy to redesign the currency. According to a statement from the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), senior citizens are being forced to beg for assistance and describe their situation as a “hell.” To alleviate their suffering, the NUP is urging the government to pay their pensions in cash and to provide them with priority service at banks, ATMs, and POS terminals to avoid the long queues they face every day. The NUP’s National President, Godwin Abumisi, and General Secretary, Elder Actor Zal, are leading the call for action.
NUP’s statement states: “As a result of the naira scarcity, many families, including that of the pensioners have been thrown into a state of hunger and hopelessness as they cannot access cash in their various banks to meet up with their basic necessities and responsibilities.
“It is in line with the above that the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) which is the voice of the Nigeria Pensioners/Senior Citizens wishes to issue this press statement towards drawing the attention of the Federal Government to the deplorable state of the endangered Nigeria pensioners who are worse hit by this obnoxious, faceless and dehumanising policy that has reduced the Senior Citizens to beggars in their fatherland.
“It is on the strength of this that the NUP as a Pressure Group and the true representative of the Nigeria pensioners wish to strongly appeal that the Federal Government could do better to lessen this burden on the Senior Citizens by taking some temporary measures of paying the pensions of the pensioners in cash as well as according to the pensioners’ priority and preferential treatment at their banks, ATM and POS paying points to avoid the endless long queues experienced at banks daily.
“This can be achieved by identifying and singling out the pensioners/Senior Citizens at every pay point and have them attended to immediately to avoid the incident of collapses of older persons at queue points as being experienced currently. Or alternatively, the Federal Government could urgently work out any palliative measures for these fragile, endangered species in order to ameliorate their living conditions. Suffice it to say the pensioners/Senior Citizens are the responsibility of the government and their welfare should therefore matter to her. ‘A stitch in time saves nine.’
“The Union shall deeply appreciate your urgent intervention so as to save the situation from degenerating into further chaos and or crisis.”
