The leadership of Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has dissociated itself from some pensioners, under the aegis of the Federal Civil Service Pensioners Branch, threatening to protest against the Federal Government’s delay in paying the N25,000 wage award palliative it announced last year.
The NUP berated some of the pensioners led by a former chairman of the branch, Comrade Sunday Omeize, for allegedly inciting other retirees against the government if their palliative was not paid on time following payment of N35,000 to those in active service.
Some pensioners, led by Comrade Omeize, had threatened to go a protest march and draw the attention of the whole world to their predicament if the wage award was not paid as soon as possible, saying dialogue with government had failed.
Reacting to Omeize’s threat at a press briefing, the officials of the NUP, led by its president, Comrade Godwin Abumisi and the General Secretary, Elder Actor Zal, dissociated the union from the threat.
Abumisi, who maintained that while the pensioners are eagerly awaiting the Federal Government to fulfill its promise in this direction to ameliorate their suffering, he said as senior citizens, they would rather engage the government in constructive dialogue than demonstration.
The NUP president, who was in company with the National Trustees for the Federal Civil Service Pensioners, Engr Ahmed Lawal and other retirees, demanded immediate arrest of those calling for demonstration to avoid causing of mayhem in the country in the name of demonstration.
Abumisi said, “While the pensioners all over the country are eagerly waiting for the Federal Government to fulfil its promise in this direction to ameliorate their suffering, as senior citizens we would rather engage the government in constructive dialogue than demonstration.
“We hereby call on the relevant security agencies to rise up to their responsibilities by putting behind the bars anyone that threatens the existence of the fragile peace that has eluded our country, Nigeria.”
The union also faulted Omeize for addressing himself as the President-General of the Association of Federal Civil Service Pensioners of Nigeria, insisting that nothing of such exists in the constitution of NUP and that his tenure had since July 2022 expired as branch chairman of FCSPB.
The union said, “Our main reason to put this press release is to debunk his threat of protest against the Federal Government.
“For records, we wish to categorically state that the Nigeria Union of Pensioners has only one constitutionally recognised National President in the person of Comrade Godwin Ikechukwu Abumisi, who is hale and hearty, going about his normal trade union business.”
But when contacted, Omeize said it was a slip of tongue and error from the media houses to have addressed him as ‘President-General,’ adding that he was not afraid of arrest for demanding his members’ welfare from the government.
“If they arrest me, I will follow them, I will write statement, then I produce documents. Many people under NUP had been addressing press briefing, even going to courts, no problem, no arrest, nothing. If they now instigate any government to arrest me, no problem,” he said.
On the position of FCSPB chairmanship, he said, “I am still the chairman because there is a court injunction that directed the NUP not to dissolve us nor interfere in our activities until the matter is disposed off. Election didn’t hold as at when due then. That injunction has not been vacated till today.”
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