The Benue State Pensioners, both from the state government and local government have faced a prolonged ordeal of payment from successive government in the past. During Governor Hyacinth Alia’s tenure, state pensioners received payments for four months (May to August 2023), while local government pensioners received payments for three months (June to August 2023). This revelation came to light through a conversation with Michael Vember, the State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP).
Benue State Pensioners Arrears or Back Pay Crisis
Vember disclosed that successive governments had allowed arrears to accumulate, leaving local government pensioners with a daunting backlog of 77 months and Benue State Pensioners with 43 months of unpaid pensions. In response to this crisis, Governor Alia’s administration pledged to start fresh payments, vowing to settle all outstanding arrears once funds became available.
However, Vember expressed deep concern over the dire situation pensioners faced due to the economic challenges in the country, exacerbated by the removal of petrol subsidies by President Bola Tinubu’s administration. Many retirees now receive as little as N4,000 per month in pension, a stark contrast to the civil service minimum wage of N30,000.
Economic Challenges and Disparity in Monthly Pensions
Initially, Governor Alia focused on Benue State pensioners but extended payments to local government retirees upon their request. While payments have reached August 2023, the governor’s approach has created a gap in arrears. Local government pensioners were left without payments from May 2018 until June 2023, and a similar gap existed for state pensioners from May 2020 to May 2023.
Despite the promises to clear arrears, Governor Alia has not yet taken concrete steps to do so, directing that calculations be made and arrears kept until sufficient funds are available. The uncertainty about when these arrears will be addressed compounds the challenges faced by pensioners in Benue State.
Vember emphasized the distressing reality faced by Benue State Pensioners, describing it as disheartening. The removal of petrol subsidies has disproportionately affected pensioners, whose meager monthly pensions make it exceedingly difficult to cope with economic realities. With a minimum wage of N30,000 for civil servants, the N4,000 pension for retirees highlights a significant disparity, exacerbating their already precarious situation. Benue’s pensioners, who have served their country diligently, are left grappling with the harshest consequences of the country’s economic downturn, calling for urgent attention and resolution.
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