Photo credit: SaharaReporters
According to a SaharaReporters report, some members of the Nigeria
Airways branch of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners on Tuesday prevented
the Acting Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, from gaining entry into
her office during a peaceful protest to demand the non-payment of their
14 years’ pension arears.
The Minister was forced to alight from her official vehicle when
they refused to vacate the gate, to appeal to the protesting senior
citizens.
During the protest, the pensioners displayed placards and took over
the main gate of the ministry, obstructing human and vehicular
movement, particularly the staff who were resuming for duty.
Addressing the protesters, Ahmed asked for time to enable her get
appropriate briefing on the issue, and also requested a proper meeting
with the leadership of the group so as to agree on a payment schedule
that will be mutually convenient.
She stated that the 14-year arears of payment would have
accumulated into a huge sum, and might not be easy to liquidate in one
payment, hence a mutually agreed mode would be necessary.
The protesters therefore presented a copy of their protest letter
to the Minister and vacated the gate to allow her access into the
premises.
They demanded the payment of their areas totalling N45.3 billion,
which they said had been approved by President Muhammadu Buhari since
2017.
The protesters also asked the Minister to maintain open and
continuous contact with the leadership of the union for development and
information regarding their pension.