Over 2,000 pensioners died waiting, says NUP

Tension rose in Lagos yesterday as policemen attached to the Lagos State Command reportedly fired teargas to disperse pensioners protesting at the Lagos House and Lagos State House of Assembly, Ikeja, over outstanding pension adjustments and wage awards.

The pensioners, under the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), had gathered at the government premises to demand the implementation of approved pension increases, payment of arrears and other benefits due to them.

The protesters said their demands centred on outstanding pension enhancements and wage awards, among other welfare issues.

Meanwhile, the National Pension Commission (PenCom) has stepped into the lingering dispute over delayed pension increases and wage awards for Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) retirees in Lagos State.

The intervention came on the heels of the protest by the pensioners, who accused the Lagos State Government of delaying the implementation of pension adjustments and wage awards they said had been approved by the Federal Government.

The retirees, who marched through their respective zones carrying placards and singing solidarity songs, expressed anger over what they described as prolonged neglect and financial hardship after years of service to the state.

In a statement, PenCom acknowledged the concerns of Lagos State CPS pensioners regarding the implementation of pension increases and wage awards, saying it recognised the importance of ensuring that retirees receive all benefits legitimately due to them.

The Commission said that it had engaged the Lagos State Government and the Lagos State Pension Commission (LASPEC) on issues relating to the administration of pensions, including the need to extend appropriate pension adjustments to eligible CPS retirees.

PenCom, however, explained that implementing pension enhancements involves several processes, including determining eligibility, applicable adjustments, actuarial liability, funding, and providing relevant data and instructions to Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs).

It said it was engaging the relevant stakeholders to ensure that the processes were properly addressed.

However, the pensioners insisted that the time for further delays was over.

Chairman, Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Lagos State Council, Olufemi Olanrewaju, while speaking during the protest, described the continued delay in implementing the pension adjustments as an act of injustice against retired workers.

Olanrewaju alleged that no fewer than 2,000 pensioners had died while waiting for their outstanding entitlements, and hundreds of others were currently sick and struggling to afford adequate healthcare and other basic needs.

He also questioned why the Lagos State Government had yet to implement the payments after receiving an actuarial report detailing the financial obligations involved.

The pensioners accused the state government of failing to honour its commitment to retirees, saying the situation had placed many senior citizens under severe financial pressure.

Also speaking, Chairman, Nigeria Union of Contributory Pensioners (NUPCPS), Lagos State, Michael Omisande, said the pensioners would sustain their agitation until their outstanding entitlements were paid.