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First Bank pensioners protest neglect

Published

3 weeks ago

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The National Union of Pensioners FBN Unit has accused the management of FirstBank of Nigeria of continual refusal to comply with court orders, pension reforms, and signed agreements.

 

In a press statement issued on Monday, the union’s National Chairman, Pastor Gimbason John, criticised FirstBank for its flagrant disregard for the rights of its former employees.

 

He said the pensioners had been enduring years of frustration in securing fair pension payments.

 

Meanwhile, all attempts to contact Folake Ani-Mumuney, the Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications at First Bank for comments on the matter, were unsuccessful, as she did not respond to several calls and emails.

 

 

He said that the struggle for fair pension practices at FirstBank dated back to 2008 when the union began collective bargaining efforts.

 

Despite winning a case at the Investment and Security Tribunal in 2010, he claimed FirstBank failed to comply with the ruling.

 

It stated that instead, the bank opted to appeal and stalled proceedings, adding that the case remained unresolved in a High Court in Lagos.

 

 

Gimbason further lamented that meetings between the union and the bank, including the most recent one in September 2023, had failed to yield results.

 

“For God’s sake, who are these stakeholders they are always consulting with?” he questioned.

 

He expressed frustration at the bank’s repeated delays.

 

According to Gimbason, one of the major points of contention is FirstBank’s alleged failure to review pension payments upward every five years, as mandated by a 2016 court ruling.

 

He claimed that many pensioners received meagre monthly stipends ranging from N4,500 to N84,000, with senior management retirees, such as former general managers, receiving as little as N60,000 to N84,000.

 

The union president also alleged that the poor pension payments had resulted in untimely deaths of retirees, many of whom could not afford adequate healthcare.

 

“The death of a pensioner is the death of his or her pension payment,” Gimbason said.

 

 

In 2018, he claimed it reached a Memorandum of Understanding with FirstBank after a protest at the bank’s Coomassie House in Abuja, but the bank had allegedly refused to honour the agreement.

 

“It will shock you to know that FBN pensioners are the least paid in the financial sector despite First Bank being one of the largest banks in Nigeria,” Gimbason stated.

 

He noted that the union had given FirstBank two weeks to engage in negotiations and increase pension payments to N150,000 per month. According to Gimbason, should the bank fail to meet this demand, the union has vowed to mobilise over 5,000 pensioners for protests at FirstBank branches across Nigeria, including the bank’s head office in Marina, Lagos.

 

In addition to improved pension payments, the union demanded a yearly medical allowance increase from N30,000 to N300,000 or free medical care for all pensioners.

 

He also called for an investigation into the alleged disappearance of pension funds, rumoured to be worth over N300bn and asked that pensioners be represented on the bank’s board.

 

Gimbason appealed to the Central Bank of Nigeria, the bank’s board chairman, and the public to intervene. They wanted FirstBank to comply with court orders and treat its former employees with the respect they deserved.

 

“We are old men and wom

en who no longer fear death,” he mentioned.

 

 

 

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Breaking News: Court bars VIO from stopping, impounding, confiscating vehicles..

Published

5 hours ago

on

October 3, 2024

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A Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an order barring the Directorate of Road Traffic Services (otherwise known as VIO) from further stopping vehicles on the road, impounding or confiscating vehicles, and imposing fines on motorists.

 

Justice Evelyn Maha issued the order in a judgment on a fundamental rights enforcement suit: FHC/ABJ/CS/1695/2023 filed by a human rights activist and public interest attorney, Abubakar Marshal, reports The Nation.

 

 

Also affected by the order are the Director of Road Transport; the Area Commander, Jabi, and the Team Leader, Jabi, and the Minister of the FCT, also listed as respondents.

 

 

In the judgment delivered on Wednesday, October 2, Justice Maha upheld Marshal’s argument that no law empowers respondents to stop, impound, confiscate, seize, or impose fines on motorists.

 

The judge declared that the first to the 4th respondents, who are under the control of the 5th respondent (Minister of the FCT) are not empowered by any law or statute to stop, impound, or confiscate the vehicles of motorists and or impose fines on motorists.

 

She proceeded to issue an order restraining the 1st to 4th respondents either through their agents, servants, and or assigns from impounding, confiscating the vehicle of motorists, and or imposing a fine on any motorist as doing so is wrongful, oppressive, and unlawful by themselves.

 

 

Justice Maha further made an order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondents whether by themselves, agents, privies, allies or anybody acting on behalf of the 1st respondent from further violating the rights of Nigerians to freedom of movement, presumption of innocence and right to own property without lawful justification.

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Zenith Bank Assures Customers on Seamless Transactions, Apologizes for Disruptions During Infrastructure Upgrade

Published

10 hours ago

on

October 3, 2024

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Nigeria’s leading financial institution, Zenith Bank, has reassured its customers of improved services following recent infrastructure upgrades.

 

In a message posted on Thursday, the bank apologised for the service disruptions experienced across its e-channels during the upgrade period.

 

The bank clarified that the glitches were a result of routine information and technology maintenance, which is essential for optimizing service delivery.

 

Zenith Bank emphasized its commitment to ensuring 100% uptime, stating that it takes this responsibility “very personally” and continuously allocates resources to maintain uninterrupted service availability.

 

In the statement, the bank expressed its sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused to customers during the upgrade process, highlighting that the information technology enhancements are designed to improve the quality of service for its esteemed clientele.

 

The message reads in part:

 

Dear Valued Customer,

 

We sincerely apologise for the service disruptions you experienced recently on our banking channels. This was due to an information Technology upgrade aimed at improving the quality of service we provide.

 

We have made significant progress with the upgrade and you can now perform transactions conveniently with the following Zenith bank Channels:

 

Your Zenith Bank Debit Card

The Zenith Bank Mobile App

The Zenith bank Internet Banking Platform

Zenith Agents nationwide (Agent Banking)

 

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Just In: Tinubu Set To Embark on  Two-weeks Annual Leave.

Published

1 day ago

on

October 2, 2024

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has announced a two-week annual leave

 

According to Bayo Onanuga Special Adviser to the President (Information & Strategy) President Bola Tinubu will depart Abuja today for the United Kingdom to begin a two-week vacation, part of his yearly leave.

 

He will use the two weeks as a working vacation and a retreat to reflect on his administration’s economic reforms.

 

He will return to the country after the leave expires.

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