Retirees under the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP) on Monday staged protests in different parts of the country over the non-payment of their entitlements, including 35 months’ pension arrears and the N35,000 palliative promised by the Federal Government.
The demonstrators, drawn from agencies such as the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL), Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), and the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), lamented that the prolonged delay had plunged many of them into severe hardship. They urged the Federal Government to provide a clear timeline for settling the outstanding payments, insisting that many pensioners were dying without receiving their dues.
In a related development, members of the Coalition of Federal Pensioners, Lagos Chapter, also stormed the Lagos office of the Pension Transitional Arrangements Directorate (PTAD) to demand the immediate implementation of a ₦32,000 pension increase approved by President Bola Tinubu last year.
Led by the group’s chairman, Mukaila Ogunbote, the Lagos protesters accused the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, of stalling the payment despite a recent presidential directive for immediate implementation, alongside a minimum pension guarantee.
Responding to the agitation, PTAD’s Liaison Officer, Cashmir Audu, confirmed that the increment had been approved but attributed the delay to a lack of funds.
The pensioners vowed to sustain their protests until the Federal Government meets their demands, warning that they could take their grievances to Abuja if urgent action is not taken.
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