The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has disowned the Nigerian Ports Authority Concerned Pensioners (NPACP), describing it as a group that is not known to any Nigerian law.
According to the NPA, members of this group, led by Charles Ayo Binitieare, former employees of the Authority, most of whom left the service between 2006 and 2007, have refused to belong to the recognised Nigerian Ports Authority Pensioners Welfare Association (NPAPWA).
The NPAPWA is recognised by NPA based on the July 20, 2018 letter addressed to the managing director by the chief registrar, Federal High Court Lagos, A.A. Tahir recognising Umar Ali Imam as the authentic caretaker committee member to take charge of the association.
“Even though the Authority has found this a legitimate ground not to have anything to do with the group, management has at various times in the past three years, given them audience and taken steps to address their complaints,” said Adams Jatto, general manager, Corporate and Strategic Communications of the NPA in a statement sent to BusinessDay.
He listed the steps to include harmonisation of pensions ranging from 15 percent to 158 percent paid to all categories of pensioners including the 2006/2007 set; the increase of pensions to all categories of pensioners including members of the NPACP by 3percent, and payment of 18 months arrears of 3 percent increase from January 2016 to June 2017.
He said the NPA ensures that its pensioners get their monthly entitlements, which runs into about N700 million on the 22nd day of every month.
In addition, pensioners have access to the Authority’s medical facilities at no cost. In fact, the Authority only recently extended the opportunities for pensioners to attend referral medical facilities across the six geo-political zones of the country,” he said.
Jatto said that the grouse was the outrageous proposal of NPACP that the 3percent increase was too little and should be raised. “Our position has also been validated by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, which clarified that the constitution leaves the margin for increase of such remuneration at the discretion of the Authority.”
“The NPACP is also claiming that the Authority increased the salary of staff in January 2018 and as such, pensioners should benefit. The correct position, which has been clarified by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission in a letter written to the Minister of Transportation on May 31, 2018, was that the Authority only corrected anomalies in its salary scale and not salary increment,” he said.
He however, assured that the NPA is committed to the welfare of its workforce, serving or retired but will not allow itself to be stampeded by the NPACP or any other group.
