Court okays registration of two new pensioners’ bodies

TRACKING____By Johnbosco Agbakwuru
The National Industrial Court, NIC, Abuja has affirmed the Ministry of Labour and Employment’s recent approval for registration of Federal Parastatals and Private Sector Pensioners’ Association of Nigeria, FEPPPAN, and Contributory Pensioners Union of Nigeria, CPUN, as pensioners’ bodies responsible for the welfare of federal parastatals and private pensioners as well as Contributory Pension Scheme, CPS, pensioners, respectively.

In a statement, President-General of FEPPPAN, Chief Temple Ubani, and the General Secretary, Franklin Erinle, informed that the court on March 3, 2020, in a ruling delivered by Justice O.O. Oyewumi, dismissed a suit filed by the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP, that sought for the nullification of FEPPPAN and CPUN existence and to declare the powers of the Minister of Labour and Employment and the Registrar of Trade Unions in regrouping NUP into three unions illegal.

The statement said, “We, the members of Federal Parastatals and Private Sector Pensioners’ Association of Nigeria, FEPPPAN, wish to inform you and the general public that the registration of Federal Parastatals and Private Sector Pensioners’ Association of Nigeria, FEPPPAN, and Contributory Pensioners Union of Nigeria, CPUN, as Registered Trade Unions by the Registrar of Trade Unions, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment has been reaffirmed by the National Industrial Court Abuja, in a landmark ruling delivered by Honorable Justice Oyewumi.

“The judgment delivered on March 3, 2020, clearly backed FEPPPAN as a new pensioners’ body responsible for the welfare of Federal Parastatals and Private Sector Pensioners in Nigeria.

We are calling on all our members to please come together and take our future in our own hands as we aim to address issues of common interests. You are hereby invited to turn up for a General Meeting on Monday, March 23, 2020, at the National Commission for Colleges of Education, 829 Ralph Shodeinde Street Opposite Federal Ministry of Finance, Central Business District, Abuja, by 11 am.

“Recall that upon the approval of FEPPPAN as a body responsible for the welfare of Federal Parastatals and Private Sector Pensioners by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, the leadership of the regrouped Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) approached and asked the Court to declare FEPPPAN and the CPUN illegal and therefore should not be allowed to exist.

Among other reliefs sought, NUP also prayed the Court to declare that the Minister of Labour and Employment and the Registrar of Trade Unions (RTU), lack the powers to regroup it into new associations/unions.

“But against the many prayers of the leadership of NUP to the Court, the Honorable Court in its careful consideration of all their prayers; dismissed their suit, thereby upheld the approval for the registration of FEPPPAN and CPUN.”

The Court re-enacted the constitutional powers of the Minister and the RTU regarding the regrouping of NUP for efficiency.”

The leadership of FEPPPAN also sued for peace and called for coexistence among the leaderships of Nigerian pensioners, adding that the “welfare of pensioners is very sacrosanct and therefore should form all interest and focus of all the pensioner’s unions in the country.”