By Sunday Oguntuyi,Osogbo

Nigeria Union of Pensioners has expressed displeasure over the way and manner some of their members have been maltreated by the state governors across the federation.

This is even as the union commended federal government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari for giving priority to the issue of pensioners at the federal level.

The NUP National Secretary, National Headquarters, Abuja, Elder Actor Zal made these known on Thursday, during the annual general meeting of members of NUP , southwest zone, held in Osogbo, Osun State capital.

According to Zal, since President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office in 2015, he been very good to pensioners at the federal level, lamenting that issue of pension and gratitude have been taken for granted at both the state and local government level.

The therefore, urged the president to intervene in the affairs of the pensioners all over the country.

“At the state level the money is meager to sustain them. We pray to God to have one on one courtesy call to President Muhammadu Buhari so that we can table our matter before him. We appreciate him because since he has assumed office he has done considerable things for our members. We believe if we are able to see him we table our matter”

Also speaking, Dr. Olusegun Abatan, the Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) in the South-West and the secretary of the union in Oyo State commended president Buhari for adhering to the constitutional provision of increasing pension whenever salaries of workers are increased.

He said: “The Federal Government of Muhammadu Buhari has been very good to pensioners at the federal level. He adheres to the constitutional provision of increasing pension whenever salaries of workers are increased.

“We hope that whoever comes after him will continue in that spirit. But to answer your question on how the Federal Government can intervene in the affairs of pensioners, unfortunately, when people want to cheat you, they invoke federalism.

“With pension, except there is a law to that effect from the National Assembly for the Federal Government to intervene where state governors are taking the plight of pensioners with levity or where the respective branches of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners take it upon themselves to have their days in court with the state governments and find a way to see to the implementation of what was determined at the court of law, I don’t think there is anything the Federal Government can do.”