Ex-NPA Workers Decry ₦30,000 Monthly Pension, Suspend Protest After FG Intervention

Retired workers under the old pension scheme of the Nigeria Ports Authority are still receiving as little as ₦30,000 monthly, according to the President of the Nigeria Port Authority Pensioners and Welfare Association (NPAPWA), Charles Binitie.

Binitie described the situation as unjust and unacceptable during an interview with Vanguard Maritime, adding that the association has suspended its planned protest following intervention from the Federal Government.

He said the group’s key demand is the adjustment of pensions covering 2008 to 2023, noting that many retirees were left out of proper pension reviews.

“Some pensioners are still receiving N30,000 monthly after working for many years,” he said.

“Our demand is pension adjustment from 2008 to 2023 before the new minimum wage came into effect in 2024.”

According to him, while salary increases were implemented for serving workers, pensioners under the old scheme were only given partial percentage increments.

“The salary increases approved by the Federal Government were reflected in payments to serving workers, pensioners under the old arrangement were only given ‘arbitrary percentages’ instead of the pension base provided in section 173(3) of the 1999 constitution as amended,” Binitie said.

He added that since 2008, pension adjustments had been done using small percentage increases such as 3% and 11.5%, which he described as inadequate and improperly calculated.

Binitie said he began advocacy for pension reform in 2017, a move that led to disputes with management and a legal case, but he was later vindicated in 2025 when the court upheld his election.

He explained that the affected retirees are those who left service before the introduction of the contributory pension scheme in 2008.

On the suspended protest, he said it was halted due to renewed dialogue with government authorities.

“We wrote to the President and the relevant government agency. There has been positive response and communication, so we decided to suspend the planned protest while discussions continue,” he stated.

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