Coalition of Societies for the Rights of Older People in Nigeria (COSROPIN) has appealed to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to compel banks and social security agencies to adopt staggered payment of pensions to senior citizens.
The President of the group, Sen. Eze Ajoku, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.
Ajoku said the measure was necessary to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus among older people.
“Payment agencies should stagger payment days to prevent large groups of people from congregating simultaneously at cash payment points.
“These should start earlier than the usual payment days if fixed to avoid anxiety about being paid later than the first day of the month.”
Ajoku explained that payments could be staggered using birth dates or national identification card numbers.
He said that older people could easily be prioritised using a date of birth system, with people over 80, who were mostly at risk being given priority in terms of payment dates.
“Older people should be allowed early morning access to pay-points and should be prioritised over the general population also waiting in line for cash transfer payments.”
The senator, who emphasised the need to protect older people from the claws of COVID-19, advised agencies to consider paying pensions less frequently, perhaps every two or three months.
“This should be the full amount for the combined payment period and this payment should be done on an advance basis not delaying the combined payment,” he said.
Ajoku also advocated free Automated Transfer Machines (ATM) charges if payments were made to bank accounts, saying that agencies must partner with banks to ensure that appropriate hygiene and safety protocols were put in place at ATMs points.
The coalition leader stressed the importance of safeguarding senior citizens, noting that preparing for an outbreak was essential to containing and delaying the spread of COVID-19.
He warned that senior citizens collecting their pensions at pay-points were exposed to risks of contracting the rampaging virus. (NAN)