₦70,000 transport allowance: Federal pensioners decry exclusion, unpaid ₦25,000 palliative

— Beg Tinubu to intervene By Johnbosco Agbakwuru ABUJA — CONTROVERSY over the recent approval of ₦70,000 for Federal Government workers has continued unabated, as the Federal Parastatals and Private Sector Pensioners Association of Nigeria (FEPPPAN) has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to extend the newly approved ₦70,000 monthly transport allowance for public servants to pensioners.

The retired government workers lamented that retirees were being left behind in government efforts to cushion the effects of rising living costs. FEPPPAN 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.

In a statement jointly signed by its President-General, Elder Benjamin Maisamari Amako, and General Secretary, Mr Franklin Erinle, the association questioned why retirees should be excluded from transportation support when they equally bear the burden of rising fares and other costs of living. According to the statement: “The association questioned the rationale behind excluding pensioners from transportation support when they equally bear the burden of rising transport fares and other costs of living.

“FEPPPAN expressed further disappointment over the continued non-payment of the ₦25,000 monthly subsidy-removal palliative announced by the Federal Government in October 2023, lamenting that eligible pensioners were still awaiting the promised relief even as another support package had been approved for serving workers.” It called for immediate presidential intervention to address the concerns of pensioners.

The statement said: “FEPPPAN expresses concern that eligible pensioners are yet to receive the promised support, describing the continued wait as a source of frustration for retirees who had hoped that the intervention would provide some relief from the prevailing economic hardship. “Against this background, the association called on President Tinubu to urgently intervene by directing the relevant government agencies to ensure the payment of the outstanding ₦25,000 subsidy-removal palliative to eligible pensioners.

“It also urged the President to ensure that pensioners are included in the new ₦70,000 monthly transport allowance arrangement, stressing that retirees should not be left out of policies intended to protect Nigerians from the effects of rising living costs.” It clarified that 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 depend 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 ₦25,000 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 the payment of the outstanding palliative to eligible pensioners and ensure their inclusion in the new ₦70,000 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.