NUP urges FG to create ministry of senior citizens

The Acting National President, Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Malam Musa Dallatu, has urged President Muhammad Buhari to create the ministry of senior citizens to oversee the affairs of pensioners.
Dalhatu made the appeal on Monday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.
While enumerating some of the problems facing pensioners across the Federation, the NUP boss said that the ministry would help address the various challenges facing pensioners in the country.
He said: “The creation of a ministry of senior citizens, if approved, will go a long way to attend to many pressing issues and challenges facing the retirees.
“We have the Ministry of Niger Delta, Ministry of Youth Development and other specific ministries, which are directly responsible for addressing some specific issues in the country.”
Dalhatu requested that the Federal Government to review its policy on social security for the elderly, especially in the area of their health.
He said: “Our health keeps deteriorating as we advance in age; we need the government to make a policy for us just as workers are benefiting from the National Health Insurance Scheme.
Dalhatu urged state governments to treat pensioners well, saying that most state governments owed their pensioners outstanding arrears amounting to billions of naira.
He noted that in spite of funds released by the Federal Government for the purpose of settling backlogs of salaries and pension liabilities, many states still owed pensions and salary arrears.
The NUP chief said that Imo State Government owed pensioners N56 billion, Oyo State owed local government and primary school pensioners billions in unpaid pension arrears.
While commending President Muhammad Buhari for his fatherly role towards pensioners, Dalhatu urged him to intervene and ensure that Imo pensioners and others got relief.