Federal pensioners protest in Lagos over unpaid ₦32,000 raise

On Monday, a group of federal pensioners stormed the Pension Transitional Arrangements Directorate headquarters in Lagos, demanding that a ₦32,000 pension rise that President Bola Tinubu had approved be implemented immediately.

Mukaila Ogunbote, the head of the Lagos Chapter of the Coalition of the Federal Pensioners, led the demonstrators.

Many of the demonstrators were holding signs that said, "PTAD is all about you, stop selection," and "No ₦32,000 increment," according to Daily Trust.

Speaking, Ogunbote claimed that many pensioners are now "on the verge of extinction" as a result of the delay in implementing the increase.

Additionally, he called on the federal government to take action and said that Wale Edun, the finance minister, was impeding payments, stating that the minister "should give us our money."

In order to provide a safety net for the most vulnerable retirees under the CPS, the President authorized the raise last year and last Wednesday ordered the implementation of "long-overdue pension increases and a minimum pension guarantee."

Following a briefing by Ms. Omolola Oloworaran, Director General of the National Pension Commission (PenCom), the President issued the decision.

But Ogunbote called for the federal government to help them, saying the monthly assistance they received was insufficient.

He said he should give them their money and accused Wale Edun, the minister of finance, of being involved in their situation.

Cashmir Audu, the PTAD Liaison Officer, reassured the demonstrators that the President had mandated the payment of a N32,000 raise.

"Pensioners have the civil right to demonstrate at any moment.

“It is the civil right of pensioners to protest anytime. We have repeatedly said that the N32,000 was approved last year, but unfortunately, we don’t have funds,” DailyTrust quoted Audu.