Lawyer and public affairs analyst, Dr. Maxwell Opara, has called for legislation to criminalise delays in the payment of pensions and other entitlements owed to retirees.
Speaking during an interview with ARISE News on Thursday, Opara said delayed or denied pension payments should be treated as a criminal offence, urging lawmakers to introduce legislation to that effect.
“So, I think this is high time we criminalize delaying or denial of pension. We should criminalize it. There should be a legislation that we should push up a legislation, where you fail to pay pension as at when due, it should be a criminal offense.”
Opara said pensioners who have served the country for decades should not be forced to take to the streets to demand money they are legally entitled to.
“That somebody will serve a country for 35 years, his own money, he’s not asking you to borrow him money, his own money he suffered for. ‘Pay me my right, pay me my gratuity, pay me my pension’.”
He also condemned the alleged use of tear gas against protesting pensioners, describing such action as a violation of their constitutional rights to peaceful assembly.
“It’s a gross violation of rights. If you’re talking about Section 34, Section 40, it’s a gross violation of rights for tear-gassing the people that are harmless, the people that are harmless, the people that are just protesting, exercising their rights, and you are tear-gassing them.”
Opara urged the affected pensioners to continue pursuing their demands through lawful means and offered to provide them with free legal services.
“I’m also ready to offer them free legal services. Nigerian Bar Association, Human Rights Commission, we are also there, and some other public interest litigants can also offer them free legal services.”
He emphasized that pensioners whose rights were allegedly violated could seek redress through the courts by filing an action for the enforcement of their fundamental rights.
“So, their right has been violated. It is established. Yes, they can go ahead and deny it, because Nigerian Police and some other security agencies in Nigeria, they are good in denial. Even the one you have your evidence, they will still go ahead to deny it. The world known them for that. So, denial cannot exonerate them. It is actionable, and they can enforce their right through court.”
The lawyer also criticised the deployment of security personnel during protests by pensioners, arguing that police officers should focus on preventing criminal activities rather than confronting peaceful protesters.
“When somebody is protesting, especially you know that the person is carrying black flags, you are there to make sure that that protest is not hijacked by hoodlums. That is the only duty you have to do.”
Opara further questioned the prolonged delays in paying pensioners their entitlements, alleging that some retirees were subjected to repeated verification exercises and other difficulties before accessing their funds.
He also criticised the National Assembly for failing to adequately protect the interests of retirees, saying stronger legislative oversight could help address the problem.
Opara said he would seek to introduce legislation criminalising delayed pension payments if elected to the Federal House of Representatives.
“If they elect me as a Federal House of Representatives member, I will push the bill to criminalize delay in paying pension. I will make sure that the bill, we push that bill so that all this rubbish will stop.”
Ojo Triumph
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