By Deborah Onyofufeke
Again, the Federal Civil Service Pensioners Branch, FCSPB, has demanded the direct release of its allocations from the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) like other affiliated bodies of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners.

The union which alleged that the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP, has shortchanged it amounting to over N200 million, insisted that its allocation be given to it directly like other unions affiliated with the NUP.

The National Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Pensioners Branch (FCSPB) of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Comrade Sunday Omezi, speaking to journalists at the Sectorial National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Abuja, alleged that the NUP reneged on a memorandum of understanding it had with his union to pay all outstanding allocations and other entitlements.

According to him, all the efforts made by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment and the President of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, for NUP to release withheld allocations and entitlements of the Federal Civil Service Pensioners Branch, did not yield positive results.

Comrade Omezi, who further alleged that NUP has been shortchanging his union for the past four years, said NUP finally stopped allocations to his union in April, this year.

He said: “We are having an issue with the NUP because they are owing us. The Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment had intervened and the NUP refused to oblige to the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU we signed at the instance of the Ministry of Labour on the release of our money. And because of this, we didn’t have any alternative but to approach the court.

“Rule 4 of our constitution says that we should collect our money from the source like other affiliated bodies under NUP. By source,I mean collecting our money direct from Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD).

“It is only the Federal Civil Service Pensioners Branch that NUC collects its money from source on its behalf. This is wrong and contrary to our constitution. And we are saying NUP should leave us to collect our money direct from the source but NUP is fighting against that, saying Labour Act does not allow that. If Labour Act does not allow that, then other affiliated bodies too should not be collecting their money from the source. We are already in court to seek redress over the issue.

“We have approached PTAD on the issue, we have written letters and given our account number requesting that we should be treated like other affiliated bodies but PTAD has refused, saying that is what they met on the ground.

“Rule 4 of our constitution says that we should collect our money direct from PTAD and give it to NUP. Then NUP will now give us 55% of the amount, give the Nigerian Labour Congress 10% and they will take 35%. That is what our constitution says.

Muhammadu Buhari: Africa’s icon of democracy and anti-corruption at 80

“The Memorandum of Understanding that we signed with NUP that had me, the president of NUC, my secretary, NUP General Secretary, and Deputy Director of Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment among others in attendance was that they would pay us our money.

” The Ministry of Labour said if they are owing us, they should pay us and one of their reasons was that they used out accrued arrears to build their office, their national secretariat and we told them that the office they are claiming to have used our money to build was commissioned in March 2018 while we came on board in July 2018. So there was no way they could have used our money to build their office at the time they claimed.”

Comrade Omezi wondered why the NUP was treating his union the way it was doing.

“The reason they (NUP) have refused to pay us our money is best known to them. Even the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress had directed the NUP to pay us our money, all our allocation, saying they cannot stop our statutory allocations but the NUP still did not obey him. They refused,” he lamented.

He alleged that “NUP has been shortchanging us for the past four years. And they stopped our allocation finally in April, this year.”

“What we want is that NUP should allow us to be receiving our money direct from the source, from PTAD, like other affiliated bodies,” he insisted.

In his keynote address he delivered earlier at the event, Comrade Sunday Omezi, who thanked members of the union for their unflinching support of his leadership over the past years, “most especially in this turbulent period with the NUP”, alleged that the NUP was deliberately carrying out its illegal actions against his union with a view to scuttling the entire affairs of the union.

He said: “I believe, we are all aware of the reasons why we have not been receiving our monthly allocations since the month of April 2022.

“Let it be recalled that the NUP unconstitutionally ceased our allocations for the month of April, May, and June 2021.

“It is most regrettable that the NUP has bluntly refused and rejected to pay the withheld allocations and other legitimate entitlements to date, making it difficult for us to carry out the proper functions of the headquarters office and the entire union at large.

“Apparently, the persistent and illegal withholding of our statutory monthly allocations and other accruals, such as pension arrears, is a perfectly schemed plot aimed at starving us of funds in order to scuttle the entire affairs of the union.”

Omezi however said: “After intense pressure by various stakeholders, and in a manner that defies explanation, the NUP decided to release the allocation of only one month, while still withholding the others, with the directives to use the released one-month allocation to carry out scheduled election for 29thbJuly,2022 in which they refused to show up.”

He spoke further: “The NUP deliberately refused to honour the Memorandum of Understanding reached at the meeting of 7th September 2021 in which the Minister mandated them to pay all outstanding indebtedness to the FCSPB.

“It will be necessary to inform this honourable house that we had exhausted all internal mediums to have resolved the lingering issues amicably.

“Furthermore, after considering the most recent meeting that was held between the two parties with representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in attendance on 13th July 2022 and with a directive from the president of the NUP to pay us our allocations and entitlements, yet, it still yielded no positive outcome.

“A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the two parties which the NUP claimed was to facilitate the payment of the withheld allocations, as equally directed by the Honourable Minister.

“Unfortunately, up until the date and in spite of all the entreaties by stakeholders and well-meaning personalities, the NUP still remained adamant to pay our statutory allocations, and other legitimate entitlements.

“In view of the above, we decided to take the matter to the court.”

Reacting to the allegations, the NUP General Secretary, Actor Zal, admitted that his organisation stopped payment of allocations and other entitlements to FCSPB.

Describing the National Executive Council meeting held by FCSPB ‘s leadership as illegal, Zal explained that NUP’s action in stopping allocations and other entitlements was due to the expiration of the tenure of FCSPB’s leadership.

He said: “The truth is that the meeting was illegal, illegal in the sense that the tenure of the executive leadership of the union led by Comrade Sunday Omezi expired on the 18th of last July but he quickly ran to court and obtained an injunction to avoid the election.

“The court granted an injunction that the status quo should remain and since then, we have not taken any action contrary to the court injunction, so we wonder why somebody who took us to court can go ahead and call for an NEC meeting.

“On what basis and what right has he to call that meeting? He has no moral right because already, he has finished his tenure and instead of him to allow the election to take place if he’s popular, he can be reelected for another four years tenure but he instead went to court. So you can see the implications of what he did.

“When you are supposed to give chance for a fresh election and you are sitting tight, who will release money for you? Then the person coming, what will you tell the person.? So nobody has stopped what is due to them. So as soon as new people are on board, they will take control of the money. So my action for not releasing money to his leadership is not illegal.”