Pensioners in the country have lamented the impact of naira scarcity, saying the policy has reduced them to beggars.
The senior citizens said they are going through “hell” as a result of the introduction and implementation of the naira redesign policy by the Federal Government.
The National President, Godwin Abumisi and General Secretary, Elder Actor Zal, in a statement, said the pensioners under the umbrella of Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), appealed to the Federal Government to pay them their pensions in cash as well as according to their priority and preferential treatment at their banks, ATM and POS paying points to avoid the endless long queues experienced at banks daily.
The statement reads: “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.”