The Federal Parastatals and Private Sector Pensioners Association of Nigeria has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to extend the newly approved N70,000 monthly transport allowance for public servants to pensioners, lamenting that retirees are being left behind in government efforts to cushion the effects of rising living costs.
The association said pensioners also pay transportation fares to hospitals for medical care, markets to purchase essential commodities and other destinations for economic activities they undertake to supplement their pensions and sustain their livelihoods.
It, therefore, questioned why retirees should be excluded from transportation support when they equally bear the burden of rising fares and other costs of living.
FEPPPAN expressed further disappointment that eligible pensioners were still awaiting the N25,000 monthly subsidy-removal palliative announced by the Federal Government in October 2023, even as another relief package was being approved for serving workers.
The association’s position was contained in a statement jointly signed by its President-General, Elder Benjamin Amako, and General Secretary, Mr Franklin Erinle, who called for immediate presidential intervention to address the concerns of pensioners.
According to the association, its appeal was not against the transport allowance approved for serving workers but against the apparent neglect of retirees in the government’s response to the economic hardship confronting Nigerians.
It lamented that pensioners, many of whom depended on fixed monthly incomes to pay for food, medication, transportation and other necessities, were being left to contend with rising expenses without comparable relief.
FEPPPAN recalled that on October 1, 2023, the Federal Government announced a N25,000 monthly palliative for three months to cushion the effects of petrol subsidy removal, with vulnerable pensioners among the groups identified for assistance.
It said the continued wait for the promised relief had deepened retirees’ frustration and hardship.
The association urged Tinubu to direct the relevant government agencies to expedite payment of the outstanding palliative to eligible pensioners and ensure their inclusion in the new N70,000 monthly transport allowance arrangement.
FEPPPAN maintained that pensioners deserved the same consideration in government policies intended to ease economic hardship, stressing that their years of service to the country should not leave them forgotten when relief measures are being implemented.
