By Olakunle Olafioye (Lagos), Jude Chinedu (Enugu), Aniekan Aniekan (Calabar), Taiwo Oluwadare (Ibadan), Lateef Dada (Osogbo), Emmanuel Adeyemi (Lokoja), Femi Folaranmi (Yenagoa), Noah Ebije (Kaduna), Paul Orude (Bauchi) and Emmanuel Uzor (Awka)
Last year, President Bola Tinubu approved that the amount paid to pensioners be increased to N32,000 on account of the new national minimum wage, which was raised to N72,000. Despite the approvals granted by President Tinubu and the consequent disbursement of statutory allocations to the three tiers of government from the Federation Account, payment of due pensions and gratuities to retirees has remained a traumatic challenge, leaving the pensioners to wallow in misery and near destitution in some severe cases in some states.
In a statement, the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission (NSIWC) announced the increment meant for pensioners on September 27, 2024, and explained that the increment was a direct fallout from the implementation of the National Minimum Wage in the various salary structures, including the Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure, Consolidated Research and Allied Institutions Salary Structure.
Others are the Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Structure II, Consolidated Polytechnics and Colleges of Education Academic Staff Salary Structure, and Consolidated Tertiary Educational Institutions Salary Structure.
The commission stated: “Agencies that are not part of any of the above-mentioned salary structures should, in line with Section 173 (3) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and Section 3 (P) of the NSIWC Act, apply to the commission to determine the appropriate increase that will be applicable to their retirees.”
As this directive is waiting for compliance, the plight of pensioners is worsening in most of the states.
In this report, we bring to you the situation in the states.
LAGOS
Retirees in Lagos State have been lamenting over the undue delay in payment of their pension, lack of transparency on how their entitlements are calculated and the dearth of information on their gratuity before the introduction of the contributory pension scheme in 2007.
Some pensioners who spoke to Sunday Sun said that they could not really fathom why their counterparts in other states with whom they retired on the same levels and many of whom they earned better than while in the service as well as saved much more than before their retirement now get almost double of what accrues to them as monthly stipends.
Sunday Sun further learnt that many pensioners are yet to get their accruable gratuities before the commencement of the pension scheme in 2007.
A retiree who joined the state’s civil service in 1983 and pleaded anonymity said that all he had received since he retired in 2017 has been from his contributory pension scheme.
“I retired in 2017 and I was left like that for three good years without any benefits. Those three years were hellish. Some of my colleagues that we retired together at the time died in the process. But by the grace of God the state government started paying when the then governor, Akinwumni Ambode, came in.”
His bitterness over his retirement benefits does not end with the delayed payment.
He told Sunday Sun that the state government only commenced the payment of his benefit from 2007 when the contributory pension scheme was launched without information on his entitlement during the period before 2007.
The embittered pensioner said: “We heard that the governor said he would only begin the payment from 2007 when the contributory pension scheme started, but the question is: what is the fate of those of us who had been in service before that time? Does it mean that they will only pay me for 10 years out of the 24 years that I served? All I have been paid now only covers my contributory pension. I don’t know what is happening with my gratuity for the period before the contributory pension started.”
Besides their anger over the delayed payment of their entitlements and the non-payment of their acruable benefits before the introduction of the current pension scheme, Lagos State pensioners also complained of the lack of transparency about how their entitlements are arrived at.
Another retiree from the state said that while he was paid a lump sum of N6 million when he retired, one of his friends from another state with whom he joined the civil service and retired together in the same year reportedly got double of what he got.
He said: “I have a friend who retired on Level 14, Step 3 or 4 the same year I retired on Level 14, Step 11. He got his money the same year we retired. He said he was given N12 million and every month he receives N120,000. That gave me an idea of what mine was going to be. But when they eventually paid me I was given N6 million and that’s all. A man was sitting with me, he told me he retired as a deputy director and he was given N4 million. When I listened to him, I decided to keep quiet about my case because his money was supposed to be far more than mine.”
ENUGU
Pensioners in Enugu State are crying out for help as many of them, especially those who retired from local government and primary school sectors, are owed over 24 months pension arrears.
The State Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners, Ikechukwu Ekere, described the situation as dire, as life has become a daily struggle to afford food and medicine.
“As of today, the pensioners of primary schools and local governments are still owed arrears of 24 months. Imagine a father who retired from a local government and a mother who retired from a primary school, and for two years, they have not received a single kobo—not to mention their gratuities,” he lamented.
However, he acknowledged Governor Peter Mbah’s intervention, which saw monthly payments resume in July 2024, covering up to November. Yet, the December and January payments are still pending.
“But after writing on several occasions, His Excellency did something encouraging by starting monthly payments from July 2024. The government paid up to November, but December and January are yet to be paid. I’ve been in touch with the pension board, and they say payment should happen within the week. Gratuities have not been paid,” Ekere added.
For many pensioners, the struggle has been ongoing for years.
Ekere revealed that since 2006, gratuities have not been paid, while retirees in government parastatals have not received their pensions since February 2021.
“Yesterday, we submitted another letter to His Excellency, pleading for these pensioners to be paid, even if it’s just two months’ worth, so they can buy drugs,” he said.
The financial situation of some pensioners is alarming, with the lowest-paid receiving just N475 per month, an amount that can’t even buy a sachet of paracetamol.
“For civil servants still working, their salaries come as and when due, but how much are they really earning? You can come to my office and verify. Some pensioners in Enugu State are paid N475. Can that buy a sachet of paracetamol?” he queried.
Ekere also expressed frustration over the state government’s failure to include pensioners in palliative distributions, even when other states gave their retirees some relief.
“When states were distributing palliatives last year, we wrote to our governor. We were directed to the deputy governor, who was in charge of palliatives, but in the end, we got nothing.
“They gave palliatives to civil servants—both primary school and local government workers—but nothing was given to the most vulnerable among us, the pensioners. Other states gave pensioners N10,000 or N12,000, but in Enugu, we got nothing,” he said.
The pensioners’ chairman also criticized the state’s failure to implement the Federal Government’s consequential pension adjustment, which should ensure no retiree earns less than N32,000.
“The Federal Government made an adjustment, just as they increased civil servants’ minimum wage to N70,000. They said the least-paid pensioner in the country should get N32,000. We saw the circular, and it was sent to the governor and the Head of Service, but up till now, nothing has happened,” he said.
He added that they had written another reminder to the governor, pleading for intervention.
“We pensioners are dying. We’re not asking for money to buy cars or build houses, just to feed and buy medicine. We salute the governor for the good work he’s doing, the roads, the smart schools, but he should also think about pensioners.
“He should remember those of us who worked and made it possible for today’s civil servants to have jobs,” he said.
Ekere warned that the treatment of pensioners is causing fear among current civil servants, pushing many into corruption.
“What have we done to deserve this treatment? Is retirement a curse? It shouldn’t be, because even those still working today will retire someday, hoping to receive their gratuities and pensions.
“We’ve seen that corruption in the civil service is partly because of how pensioners are treated. If a worker sees how retirees suffer, they’ll do whatever it takes to secure something for themselves before retirement,” he said.
He, therefore, called on the state government to increase pensions and harmonize payments as other states have done.
“Other states have set a minimum pension of N10,000 or N20,000. But here in Enugu, there’s nothing like that,” he said.
CROSS RIVER
In Cross River State, pensioners have been fairly lucky because the state government has been up to date in paying pensioners in the state.
All pensions due to retired workers both at the state and local government levels have been paid.
State Chairman, Association of Local Government Pensioners, Bassey Okosin, confirmed this in his office in Calabar.
“This state is lucky in terms of pensions as we have been enjoying pensions regularly except in a few instances which may be due to a technical or administrative obstacle, but the whole pension is running very well,” he said.
He, however, disclosed that the state is a bit backwards in terms of gratuity and that the outgone administration did not see gratuity as a commitment.
On the consequential adjustment, he said the government has not yet adjusted the pensions to reflect the new minimum wage.
He disclosed that the association has written to the government, but they expect the government to act fast on it.
“The government has signalled intention to embark on the consequential adjustment. However, what we are not happy about is that it should have been done side by side with the implementation of the new minimum wage because we buy from the same market,” he said.
Okosin also disclosed that what they have been doing on their own to ameliorate their plight is to organize healthcare access to their members and also conduct skill acquisition training for members to help them stay afloat.
Speaking on the issue of consequential adjustment for pensioners in the state, Cross River State Commissioner for Information, Erasmus Ekpang, said the process is ongoing.
“Consequential adjustments for pensioners in Cross River State will soon be harmonized to align with what is obtainable in the service, as directed by His Excellency, Sen. Prince Bassey Otu, as agreed in the MOU between the government and labor on December 1, 2024.
“This is currently being worked out and is awaiting His Excellency’s final approval. Once that is completed, government will do the needful to alleviate their sufferings. Please note that the governor is a man of his word and will conduct a thorough fact-finding process before granting final approval that will balance both the government and labour,” he said.
He also disclosed that the government prioritises the interest of its senior citizens and they are always incorporated in the various programmes and policies of the administration.
The main challenge in the state has to do with gratuities for retired workers as the outstanding arrears date back to 2013.
OYO
The Oyo State government under the leadership of Governor Seyi Makinde has extended the recently approved ₦80,000 minimum wage to pensioners in the state.
This move has been praised by the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP) with the state Secretary, Comrade Olusegun Abatan, describing it as a significant improvement in the welfare of retirees.
Speaking in an interview with Sunday Sun in Ibadan, Abatan revealed how Governor Makinde’s administration prioritised pension payments, contrasting it with past governments.
According to him, under the previous administrations, pensioners in Oyo State were neglected, leading to extreme hardship and a high mortality rate among retirees.
“Oyo State pensioners no longer die like fowls under Governor Makinde’s administration,” Abatan stated.
He emphasised that unlike before, pensions and gratuities were now paid regularly and at the same time with other workers’ salaries.
Abatan, who also serves as the Public Relations Officer for the NUP in the Southwest, noted that Governor Makinde inherited over ₦200 billion in unpaid pension arrears and gratuities, but has already cleared over ₦40 billion of this debt.
The governor has also committed to settling the remaining balance before his tenure ends in May 2027, he said.
“If possible, we wish Governor Makinde could go for a third term because we do not want to return to the suffering of the past,” Abatan added.
He praised Makinde for implementing long-overdue pension reviews, stating that for 18 years before his administration, pension increments were ignored despite constitutional provisions mandating them. The last review was carried out in 2007 under former Governor Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala.
“Before Makinde came, some pensioners were earning as little as ₦300 or ₦1,000 monthly. But now, the minimum pension has been raised to ₦25,000. He also ensured that pensioners received the 33 per cent pension increase that was supposed to take effect in 2010,” Abatan explained.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Pastor Sulaimon Olanrewaju, confirmed the administration’s commitment to pensioners’ welfare.
He recalled that upon taking office in 2019, Governor Makinde donated his salary to pensioners and implemented measures to clear the backlog of unpaid pensions and gratuities.
“Pensioners in Oyo State are now among the highest-paid in the country, aside from federal pensioners.
Governor Makinde has prioritised their welfare, ensuring that their pensions are reviewed in line with salary increases for workers,” Olanrewaju said.
OSUN
The State Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Comrade Dele Aina, has said that Governor Ademola Adeleke is trying to improve the living condition of pensioners in Osun State.
Speaking with Sunday Sun, Aina lamented the biting impact of inflation on the meager stipend of retirees, but noted that the increment of pension with N25,000 has ameliorated the suffering of the retirees.
According to him, some pensioners were earning below N1,000 before the recent directive of the state government that N25,000 should be added to pension, irrespective of the cadre.
He noted that the increment has not solved the problems facing the senior citizens because some arrears have not been paid by the government.
He said: “The state government is trying. Though, we still have many other things we are expecting them to do. They have not done the 33 per cent, consequential is there, 142 per cent owed to pensioners by the previous government has not been paid up to date, there is 20 per cent that the Federal Government did this year and it has not been paid. In 2011/2012 pensioners went to court on the N18,000 minimum wage, they have not implemented it for them.
“We will continue managing. There is nothing government is doing on the inflation. Though the N25,000 increment has improved the living condition of pensioners a little bit. Before now, we had people earning N350, N500, N750, N1,500. So, if you add N25,000 to N350, the condition of the low income pensioner who was getting below N1,000 has improved.”
SOKOTO
As workers in Sokoto State celebrate the implementation of the new minimum wage of 70,000, pensioners in the state are lamenting the stagnation of their pension allowances, which have remained unchanged for years.
Despite the rising cost of living, over 10,000 pensioners in the state have been receiving the same amount as pension for up to a decade, with some getting as low as N4,000 per month.
The lack of increment in their pension allowances has left many retirees struggling to make ends meet, sparking widespread discontent among them.
The pensioners have not had it easy, with many of them having to depend on their children, who are also struggling under the harsh economic environment, for survival.
“I solely depend on my son who is a civil servant for my upkeep,” said Adamu Haruna, who retired 12 years ago.
Adamu’s experience was not unique. Abdullahi Umaru, 64, a retiree from the Ministry of Environment (former Ministry of Agriculture) said he is aware of the minimum wage implementation in the state, though a giant stride by the government, but to them as retirees it is the other way round.
“Though I learned from a credible source that by February there will be an increment from what we were collecting before,” told Sunday Sun.
Umaru, who retired from service 10 years ago, said for the period of his retirement, his pension allowance has been N33,000 on Level 7 as an electrical engineer of the ministry.
“With the recent inflation the amount is only enough to sustain me for a week, the only thing that can last till another month for me out of that money is electricity,” he said.
He said he has to source other means of livelihood to sustain his family, adding, adding “I depend on what I get from my menial job. The government has promised us; so we will patiently wait to see that promise fulfilled.”
Secretary of the Association of Pensioners said the group has been making moves to get the state government to address the plight of his members.
“We have sent a letter to the Head of Service based on the circular by the Federal Government stating that 32,000 should be paid as minimum pension. If it is not implemented we will still send a reminder,” he added.
The secretary noted that the non-implementation of the minimum pension affected both federal and state pensioners.
The likes of 56 years old Muhammadu Sambo, who retired from the Ministry for Agriculture in 2015, have high hopes for implementation of the minimum wage adjustment on pensions of retirees..
Sambo said for the past nine years since he became a pensioner, there was no increment from the N 32,000 which he collects monthly.
He lamented how inflation rate had continued to increase, but there was no increment in the amount of his pension.
To address the plight of the pensioners, the Sokoto State government has set up a committee which will oversee payment of gratuity to retired civil servants under the leadership of the state Accountant General, Umar Ahmad Tambuwal.
According to Tambuwal, the committee has been up and doing to carry out the directive of the state governor.
He assured the retirees of quick attention and timely response to all their complaints as soon as possible.
He added that all eligible retirees would receive their retirement benefits.
“The governor has allocated the sum of N4 billion for the payment of outstanding gratuities since last year, out of which the sum of N500 million is being released every month. We started this in May, last year.
“Some beneficiaries, particularly those living far from the state capital, may however experience some delays in receiving payment alerts due to poor network.”
KOGI
The majority of the pensioners in Kogi State still wallow in excruciating poverty as their monthly stipends are simply not commensurate with the high inflation rate of commodities in the market and the economic realities in the country.
Sunday Sun found out that some pensioners who retired from the Kogi civil service still receive as low as N7,000 while some receive pitiable sums like N20,000 to N32,000 depending on the level of the pensioners before he retired from service.
This is because, since the creation of the state in August 1991, no administration has made any tangible efforts to ensure the welfare of pensioners in the state except former Governor Ibrahim Idris who actually put smiles to the faces of civil servants in the state and by extension the pensioners.
It is on record that Ibrahim Idris in the twilight of his administration in 2010 to 2011 introduced the relativity payment for the workers and also effected the N30,000 minimum wage all within few months thereby jacking up the monthly take home pay of civil servants and pensioners to over 150 per cent.
Since then no administration has done much again with the pensioners suffering most agonizingly during Yahaya Bello-led administration as sizeable number of them died during the prolonged staff screening exercise, reason too many were not paid for upward of 37 months.
Sunday Sun learnt from a reliable source close to the late Chairman, Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Comrade Clement Ohida, said although credit must be given to the current Governor Usman Ododo for remembering pensioners by giving them prompt payment of their monthly stipends, but he said much needed to be done.
He said instead of the state government effecting payment of the minimum wage of N72,500 as done for state workers, the governor only directed a blanket increase of N10,000 to each pensioners without recourse to the grade level nor making any consultation with the leadership of the pensioners before such ridiculous amount was added to their stipends.
He said what the pensioners urgently want the state government to do for them is to carry out a comprehensive harmonisation of their pension scheme to reflect the current minimum wage, saying that the amount currently being received by members was not even enough for feeding not to talk of taking care of their medications.
According to him, pensioners who retired before 2010 are the worst hit as they received far less than those who enjoyed relativity payment and minimum wage while those who retired now go home with better pay than others.
For example, he said a Level 15 officer who retired in 2009 receives less than a Level 7 officer who retires now due to non-harmonisation of the pension scheme.
However, the case of local government pensioners is the worst in Kogi State as most of them have lost count of how many months of arrears they are being owed.
While Mrs Josephine Ojo, a retired primary school teacher on Level 10 said the government is owing her between 32 and 40 months, Ojodale Noah who retired from Dekina LGA said the government is owing them between 38 and 42 months pension arrears.
Sunday Sun gathered that the huge salary arrears and disparity came as a result of the percentage payments of local government staff by the Idris Wada administration and that of Yahaya Bello who paid local government workers and the pensioners as low as 20-25 per cent of their monthly pay depending on the local government council.
However, with the coming of Ododo’s administration, things have considerably improved for the local government pensioners who receive their stipends as and when due, but the minimum wage is yet to be implemented as they also have received a N10,000 blanket increment irrespective of their grade level.
BAYELSA
The times are hard for pensioners in Bayelsa State. Their woes are as a result of the non-payment of pensions due to controversy over the minimum wage adjustment for the pensioners.
To be fair to the administration of Senator Douye Diri, he set out to make a difference in the lives of pensioners.
In the early days of his administration, the government had taken the plight of pensioners seriously by setting aside N200 million every month to pay off gratuities and pensions.
But the good tales about the pension payment now seem to be in the distant past, as several pensioners are grumbling over non-payment of pensions.
Investigations revealed that payment of pensions is now in two groups in the state.
The first group is for retired permanent secretaries and directors with long legs while the second group comprises directors and lower cadre civil servants.
For the first group, pensions are paid as at and when due. However, this is not the same for the second group who are being owed pensions running into months.
During Sunday Sun’s visit to the Pension Office along Ox-Bow Road, some pensioners complained over non-payment of their pensions.
Mr Eremi who said he retired from the Hospital Management Board lamented that he has been having a running battle with the Pensions Board over the payment of his pensions.
His words: “I retired in 2021 and my gratuity and pension have not been paid. I have been coming to this office and the story has been the same that my payment is not ready. This is unfair and the Board is very insensitive to our plight. I have colleagues who are owed several months pension arrears. I have bills to pay, my children are in school and I am helpless.”
Also, Daniel Kuro, who claimed he retired from the Ministry of Environment said: “For 13 months, I have not been paid my pension. Nobody is giving me any information. I have submitted all the documents required, yet I am not being paid. This is not the way to treat people who sacrificed their youthful age serving the state. Governor Douye Diri needs to be told that pensioners are suffering.’’
In the case of Mr Barabi, who retired as Director of the State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, he admitted that he has no problems with pensions as he is being paid, but his grouse is with the minimum wage.
“The minimum wage that was paid with the pension was N10,000. I believe something must be wrong somewhere because the calculation is nothing to write home about. Governor Douye Diri announced a minimum wage of N80,000, so how come it was only N10,000 that was added for pensioners? It is grossly unfair.’’
Efforts to speak to the Chairman of the Pensions Board were abortive as his aide insisted that he was busy and could not address any questions.
An official of the Board, however, said that the N10,000 minimum wage adjustment for pensions was a directive of Governor Diri and not the making of the Pensions Board.
He also said that the Board is working to clear all outstanding pension arrears.
KADUNA
In Kaduna State, retirees are dying in droves, resulting from frustration and suffering occasioned by their not being able to get their entitlements from the state government.
Penultimate Thursday, representatives of the over 30,000 retirees of the Kaduna State government under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), converged on the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) State Secretariat in the state capital, brainstorm on the possible ways to approach the Kaduna State Government to urgently intervene and pay their entitlements.
Acting Chairman of the retirees under the CPS, Prof. Nate Danjuma, said over 1000 of their members had died. He threatened that they would henceforth take corpses of their deceased members to the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, the seat of the state government to attract attention of the government.
“We are here to really find a lasting solution to the plight of retirees in Kaduna State. It will surprise you to know that a large number of people that retired from the state are dying in droves virtually every day. In fact, I resolved today, I’m going to tell them that every time somebody dies, we are going to convey the corpse to Government House in Kaduna State.
“Every day we are losing people. Can you can imagine a situation someone leave service six, seven, eight, nine or 10 years without receiving benefits? Some of them have not seen a single kobo from government,” Danjuma said.
Speaking further, he said that the government is not concerned about their plight: “In fact, they don’t prioritize us. They feel that we are just dropouts, we are irrelevant and we are outdated. We contributed to what Kaduna State is today. I was in the Ministry of Education, I mean, we accredited schools. I was in the Quality Assurance up to the time. My PhDs I got them when I was actually working with Kaduna State Government.
“But as I’m speaking today, I retired in 2019. Up to now, I have not received a single Kobo from government. It is God that has seen me and my family through.
“And I want to tell the whole world, to listen, that I lost my wife because I didn’t have money to take her to a better hospital.
“We are suffering in Kaduna State. If anybody who tells you that we are not suffering in Kaduna State, that person must be a professional liar. And so, I’m talking from the depth of my heart.
“We have seen hell with the Kaduna State Government. All we want is that we don’t even want to continue with the so-called CPS, because CPS is purely a scam.”
He said the money being demanded by retirees rightly belonged to them and not a privilege.
“It is our money that was deducted. It is the money that has been kept. Somebody in air-conditioned room is now controlling that money. You write letter to PENCOM, you write letter to the Pension Bureau, they don’t even care about you. It’s about time. That is why we are meeting today to find lasting solution.
“Whatever steps we take today, we are going to tell the world, we are going to act. We are too experienced to go and protest like other people, no. But we will take the matured means.
And one of them will be, we are going to embark on serious prayers,” he said.
Professor Danjuma explained that he worked with Kaduna State Government for 35 years before retiring, wondering why the government has to treat them unfairly.
“This is what we are passing through. And when we talk to the government, the government look at us as if we are a kind of non-existing people,” he added.
Also speaking, the acting PRO of the CPS retirees, Idris Gana Asabe Abdullahi, lamented that they were being subjected to inhuman treatment.
His words: “Some of the conditions we find ourselves are very, very deplorable, very, very inhuman. That is to say, the government is treating us as if we are not human beings.
“Why did I say so? This is because we served this job for 35 good years and retired. But instead of giving us our money, in our appointment letters, stated that we got permanent and pensionable appointment. That is, immediately you retire, three months before your retirement, you are going to write that you will be retiring so-so day.
“At the end of that notice, they are supposed to prepare your entitlement, so that at the date you are retiring, they will give you your cheque or at least your money so that you will go and enjoy yourself.
“But the issue here in Kaduna is a different thing all together. You see, some of us are in rented houses, we have been driven away. Some of our children have been sent out of schools, to feed three times in a day is a problem now.
“We have been turned to beggars. If I call one of my friends now, he will not take my call. He will think that I’m looking for money. I want some assistance. I retired as a director, Level 16. But now, I’m telling you that I don’t have what to eat in my house. So what kind of system is this?
“They say government is for the people, and by the people, but as far as we are concerned, retirees in Kaduna say this government is not for us. It’s not for us, because they are killing us.”
On her part, retired Quality Assurance Board Director, Maureen David Wyon, said that she left service five years ago, but is yet to receive pension or gratuity.
“For five years, five whole years, no pension, no gratuity, even the End Well that I contributed to as a teacher, is not forthcoming. So how do you live, how do you survive now in this kind of situation?
God who created us is merciful. Even if man removes food from your mouth, God will make a way of sustaining you and it is all about God.
“No matter, your religion, your tribe, your area, God is always there to help you and God has been sustaining the retirees of Kaduna State.
“We have some that have spent six, seven or eight years without pension, not to talk of the gratuity.”
According to her, no reasons had been given as to why the entitlements had not been paid, adding: “No reason in fact, this is our first time of convening a meeting like this because we are tired of staying to listen or hear a call from the government side and so we say this time, if we don’t do something for ourselves, probably they have forgotten that there were civil servants that worked for this state and have retired.
“I am praying for this government to have a change of heart because what they are trying to do is telling people in the office now to steal. Whatever little thing that comes to you, you pick it and then you keep it because you know you will fall into our category one day.
“So I don’t know how the people in government feel. Do they even know they had civil servants in this State before? I don’t know. But it’s left to them. We are waiting patiently, like the patient dog that will wait for the bone or a piece of meat to fall from the master’s arm and then he will eat.
“But this time around, we plead that they should not allow our patience to run out,” the 65-year old retiree said.
Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Kaduna State Pension Bureau, Abdullahi Ishaku, didn’t comment on the allegations, assuring that the Bureau will organise a press conference on the issue.
BAUCHI
Most retirees in Bauchi State are going through difficult times amid economic hardship.
“We are really suffering,” a pensioner who retired eight years ago captured the pathetic situation of pensioners in the state.
The pensioner, who pleaded anonymity, explained further: “We have lost most of our members that we retired together. Most of them have gone to their graves because of hardship.
“It is not easy honestly. Whatever you people can do to make the government to help us let them increase the pension as promised so that life will be okay.
“They will always tell us that they are working on it but we don’t know when it will be actualized.
“That is the story they tell us. Kai, seriously it has been hard for us. We still have some children to pay school fees for in the school, feeding is difficult because the cost of living is on the high side.
“Transportation is another thing. The only thing that is sustaining a few of us is the petty farming we are engaged in; even the farming is with great struggle because of the high cost of fertilize.”
When contacted, the Chairman of the Pensions Union in the state said he was out of town and directed our correspondent to meet the Secretary in the office along railway Road, Bauchi.
When our correspondent visited the office, the Secretary, Comrade Danjuma Yakubu, was not in office.
Speaking with our correspondent on phone, the secretary was unwilling to give details of the situation of their members in the state.
“Verification of pensioners is currently ongoing, so I cannot talk to you now,” he said.
When pressed further, he reluctantly said, “We are getting our pension regularly, everything is going on fine.”
Speaking on the development, the Chairman of the Bauchi State Pension Board, Senator Bala Kariya, said the state government has been consistent and regular in paying the pensioners in the state.
“You can call the Accountant General to confirm what I have said, they are being paid regularly, no arrears at all,” Senator Kariya stated.
On whether Bauchi State government applied the minimum wage increase to retirees, the chairman said, “This one you can confirm from the Head of Service.
“Yesterday (Thursday January 30) we had a serious meeting, to finalise the issue of increment of the retirees’ monthly pension.”
Kariya assured that each and every pensioner will get an increase, adding, “The government has not arrived at the final thing. What the government is doing now is to pay their outstanding inabilities. Government is doing so well to ensure that it pays all the gratuities.”
ANAMBRA
The recent economic realities in the country have further compounded the woes of pensioners in Anambra State as there seems to be no end in sight to their sufferings.
Retirement from service for civil servants was designed to signal the end of active participation in day to day work and usher in moments and years of rest.
However, it is expected that upon disengagement or retirement either by years of service or age, that the retirees who are often referred as senior citizens would become the responsibilities of the government at all levels to cater for their needs.
At the post-productive stage of their lives, they are vulnerably dependent on government to take care of them by way of paying them their retirement benefits and pensions, having served their father land.
Unfortunately, pensioners in Anambra State are singing a very sad song over their fate after retirement.
Chairman of Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP, Anambra State, Chief Anthony Ugozor likened the condition of the pensioners to the story of a man who went on a failed venture. He said the state government is not paying pensions.
The unsavory situation of pensioners demands the attention of the state governor, stressing that some state pensioners get as as little as N33O,000 as pension per annum.
Chief Ugozor said the state government is yet to implement the harmonized minimum pension by the federal government which stipulates that pensioners will receive N32,000 minimum pension across board.
“We are asking for the full implementation of the N32,000 pension bill by the federal government. On the 25th October, 2024, in our joint meeting with Organised Labour and Governor Chukwuma Soludo, we drew his attention to a pensioner in Anambra State who is receiving N330 as pension. He said he was not aware but I reminded him that we had written severally to his office and we even wrote through the Head of Service, attaching the bank statement of the pensioner who has been receiving N330 as pension.
“What the governor did was to add N10,000 across board for every pensioner, thereby making the least pensioner to earn N10, 330 as pension.
“Anambra State government is not doing well in the welfare of pensioners. All we want is for the government to effect the minimum pension of N32,000 as approved by the federal government. We want to receive the minimum pension and harmonized pension according to the grade level of the pensioners on retirement.”
As a result of ill-treatment by the state government, he further lamented, pensioners are living in poverty and pain, adding this grave situation had resulted in the death of many pensioners who could not access medical care due to poverty and neglect by both state and local governments in Anambra State.
“We ask for this because there is no separate market where pensioners go to buy things at cheaper rate. If they implement this pension scheme, we will be able to take care of our members and this will go a long way.
On her part, Mrs. Chinelo Ogboe, a retired primary school teacher, said their pains have been compounded by delays in the payment of the pension. She called on the state government to be more diligent in paying the pensions which was forced on the pensioners.
“It is a pity that we have returned to the era where people mockingly tell teachers that their rewards are in heaven. Because here, we suffer for 35 good years to impact knowledge in our society at the end get forgotten upon retirement. The state government is cruel to pensioners as they don’t even pay the one they forced on us on time and when due.
However, Anambra State government could not give a definite answer to the allegation of the discrepancies in the payment of pension where some pensioners get a paltry sum of N330 per month as pension.
The Permanent Secretary, Office of the Head of Service of Anambra State, Mr. Adedayo Ojeyinka, declined comment on the issue, and referred our correspondent to the Head of Service, saying “that is a very sensitive issue and I can’t speak even if I should speak, it won’t be on phone.”