Effects of Fuel Subsidy Removal on Pensioners by Olusegun Abatan

TODAY’S VIEWPOINT IS ON FUEL SUBSIDY REMOVAL AND ITS EFFECTS ON THE LIVES OF PENSIONERS. IT IS WRITTEN BY COMRADE OLUSEGUN ABATAN, EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, NIGERIA UNION OF PENSIONERS, OYO STATE COUNCIL.

In 2022, the federal government declared October 5th of every year as Pensioners’ Day.

It is a day to celebrate pensioners and their contributions to their fatherland.

Prior to this, Pensioners Day was celebrated every 11th of December.

However, NUP, Oyo State will be celebrating Pensioners’ Day along with the inauguration of her state-of-the-art hospital before the end of the year.

The decision to combine the celebrations has to do with the financial implications of the two events.

The theme for this year’s Pensioners’ Day celebration is “Petrol Subsidy Removal, its Impacts on the Lives of Pensioners in Nigeria”.

On 29th of May, 2023, at the swearing in ceremony of Nigeria President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, he announced the removal of fuel subsidy.

The announcement came suddenly like a whirlwind and one thing that underlined that announcement was that there was no well-thought plan for the consequences of the subsidy removal.

The effects on Nigerians since that removal have been debilitating and life has been harsh and tough.

The most hard-hit are the nation’s pensioners, many of who earn between one thousand naira to five thousand naira as monthly pensions.

Drugs can no longer be bought, if they were on one meal per day it is now two meals per 72hours with a lot of water to support it.

It is also sad to know that because of the high transport fares, pensioners cannot go out again.

If this is the situation of the lives of pensioners imagine what the lives of their children will be presently.

It is a double tragedy that these are children the pensioners had laboured to send to schools and who after graduation are unemployed.

The federal government after a parley with the organized labour resolved to grant thirty five thousand naira to its workers pending when the new minimum wage will take effect in 2024.

It is hoped that Oyo state government will key fully into this agreement.

It should also be noted that the thirty five thousand naira wage award by the federal government cuts across all categories of workers at the federal level without any discrimination.

Therefore, why is it that the word “vulnerable” is discriminatory in Oyo state during the distribution of palliatives recently.

It is obvious that every Nigerian is suffering from the effects of this fuel subsidy removal, this means right now everybody in Nigeria is vulnerable.

Furthermore, Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Oyo State Council is appealing to his Excellency, Engineer Seyi Makinde to put in place without delay wage/pension award for Oyo state pensioners.

Pensioners served the country meritoriously and they need to experience the motto of Nigeria Union of Pensioners, which says “Rest is Sweet after Labour”.

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