NUP members barricade FAAN Headquarters over pensions’ adjustment

By Chukwuemeke Iwelunmo

Members of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) branch, Tuesday morning barricaded the headquarters of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria following the inability of its management to pay them their Consequential Pension Adjustment CPA.

Speaking to journalists at the FAAN headquarters, the general secretary of NUP FAAN branch, Comrade Emeka Njoku said the issue has been a prolong one between FAAN management and pensioners with several meetings held without any result

Njoku noted, that at one of the meetings it was agreed between both parties that the issue of the Consequential Pension Adjustment will be paid on or before September 30, 2021, but explained that FAAN has refused to pay without any response on the matter

“As we speak, they have not paid and no response from the management as to what is delaying the payment or give us time as to when they are going to implement it. We have not got any response hence we asked our members to come to the headquarters express their anger”

Njoku explained that their colleagues in other ministries have been paid their CPA and wondered what was holding FAAN

He warned that if at the end of October, that FAAN failed to pay with arrears that there will be a nationwide protest

Njoku said the CPA was a presidential approval that affected both pensioners and workers as president

Buhari has signed it as an Act which every Organisation was mandated to implement

“So, it is not a matter of saying that it is a negotiated issue. It is a fiat approved that every organization should pay to their workers and pensioners”

He said the management of FAAN set up a committee that has worked out the cost implications and it was at the stage of implementation

Njoku advised workers that furniture grants and others were not paramount now but salary that will be embodied when leaving the service

In a swift reaction, the general manager corporate affairs Mrs Henrietta Yakubu said FAAN was paying Furniture Grant, cooperatives, Gratuity and Pension for now adding that once they  are done, the Consequential Pension Adjustment will be handled.