By Suleiman Utako
Scores of retirees under the aegis of the First Bank National Union of Pensioners, Suleja Branch, on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest at the First Bank branch in Suleja to express their dissatisfaction with what they described as years of neglect and poor welfare by the bank’s management.
The elderly protesters, visibly frustrated, carried placards with inscriptions such as “First Bank pensioners are bleeding to death while the management is looking the other side,” “Where is our Pension Trust Fund of over N300 billion? FG, CBN, EFCC save us from these bandits in the elephant house,” and “Save our soul: Neglect of loyal labourers when it is time to eat the harvest is an injustice, abomination and worst sin! First Bank Management, you are wicked.”
According to the pensioners, the bank has failed to review their pensions and medical allowances for more than 20 years, a situation they say has left many of their members impoverished and struggling to survive in the face of rising economic hardship.
Speaking during the protest, Chairman of the Suleja Branch of the First Bank NUP, Mr. Bello Kehinde, expressed deep disappointment over what he called the “lackadaisical attitude” of the bank’s management toward the plight of its retirees. He appealed directly to the bank’s Chairman, Chief Femi Otedola, to intervene and address their grievances.
“God Almighty should touch the heart of our directors and our Chairman to assist us and look into our plight,” he pleaded. “We need an increase in our pensions because, to buy drugs now when you are sick, what can N2,500 per month do? We are frustrated. They refuse to listen to us.”
Pointing to the health struggles of some pensioners present, he added, “Some of these old men cannot stand for long. As you can see, this one seated is suffering from diabetes—his drugs alone cost over N180,000. Another is battling Parkinson’s disease. We have no choice but to come out and demand our rights.”
Another pensioner, Mr. Daniel Zhokwo, lamented that retirees have been earning the same monthly pension of N15,000 and an annual medical allowance of N30,000 for two decades. “What can that afford in the present economy?” he asked. “First Bank has denied us our rights for 20 years. Their attitude amounts to slavery by principle.”
Other members who spoke to journalists, including Mrs. Gloria Remi Ignatius and Mr. Uche Ngaji Christopher, revealed that the total number of pensioners stood at over 4,000 as of last year but has drastically reduced to fewer than 3,000. They attributed the decline to the rising number of deaths among retirees who, according to them, died while waiting for improved welfare from the bank.
Despite the protest, the pensioners emphasized that their demonstration was peaceful and aimed solely at drawing attention to their longstanding suffering. They vowed to continue pressing for better pension reviews and medical support until their demands are met.