The Concerned Retirees of Nigerian Prisons Service in Cross River have appealed to the National Assembly to pass a bill seeking to amend the Pension Reform Act 2014.
The retirees stated this on Thursday in a statement signed by a retired Deputy Comptroller Prisons Mr Enya Stephen made available to newsmen in Calabar.
Enya said their call for the passage of the bill was necessitated by the suffering they were going through under the present Contributory Pension Scheme.
“We, the retired officers of Nigerian Prisons Service, who have spent 35 years of our youthful lives in the service of our nation, are in total support of the bill before the National Assembly.
“While serving our country, we had very strong hope that on retirement; we would be taken care of, but on the contrary, with the condition on the platform of Pension Reform Act 2014, we are dehumanised.
“The monthly and quarterly pensions are inadequate for our sustenance even excluding our health bills,’’ he said.
According to the retirees, the amendment of the act will reduce the suffering of many retirees.
“With the contributory pension scheme, pensioners are now paid between 20 per cent and 25 per cent of their basic salaries as monthly pension instead of 80 per cent on the platform of the defined pension scheme.
“We believe that the passage of the bill by the National Assembly will portray the lawmakers as people that appreciate the contributions of these to the development of their country,’’ they said