Lagos pensioners protest alleged 16-year arrears as govt cites N168.2bn payments

LAGOS — Pensioners in Lagos State have protested over alleged unpaid entitlements dating back to 2007, calling on the state government to settle what they described as years of accumulated pension arrears.

The protest was organised by the Lagos State chapter of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP), which said the demonstration was a warning to the government ahead of a planned larger protest.

The retirees appealed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to intervene and resolve the issue of their outstanding payments.

NUP State Secretary, Olukayode Bada, said during the protest that pensioners remained dissatisfied with the payments they had received.

“We are here today to give the state government a warning protest against our coming mother-of-all protest because our entitlements have not been adequately given to us,” Bada said.

The union’s Financial Secretary, Olufunke Ogunrinde, said some of the outstanding payments had been owed since the pensioners were still working.

“Since 2007 when we were still in service, if these arrears are paid, it will enhance our monthly payment,” she said.

One of the protesters, Bolajoko Akinlagun, a retired director and principal in the Lagos State public service, said her current pension was significantly lower than the salary she earned before retirement.

“My own salary is so ridiculous. It’s not even up to N70,000.

“I retired as a director, retired principal with Lagos State. I was earning N120,000, Level 17. Now I am earning N58,000, N58,082,” she said.

Akinlagun said she had made several representations to the Lagos State House of Assembly concerning the matter.

The Federal Representative of the National Union of Pensioners Contributory Pension Scheme, Busari Isiaka, warned that the pensioners would take their campaign to the Federal Government if Lagos failed to address their concerns.

“We will move down to Abuja to tell the President, call on your son to give us our rights,” Isiaka said.

He also reminded the government of the pensioners’ voting power, urging the governor to meet with them.

“We have our voters’ cards. They should not forget that we have our voters’ cards,” he said.

Government disputes 16-year backlog claim

Responding to the protest, the Lagos State Government disputed the claim of a 16-year pension backlog, saying its records showed that billions of naira had been paid to retirees under the state’s two pension schemes.

Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, said the Sanwo-Olu/Hamzat administration had consistently prioritised the welfare of retired public servants.

According to Omotoso, the Lagos State Pension Commission had paid N168.2 billion to more than 48,000 retirees between 2007 and date.

He said the government had also disbursed N92 billion in accrued rights to more than 25,000 retirees since May 2019.

Omotoso explained that accrued rights cover both gratuity and pension components owed to retiring officers.

He said Lagos increased pension contributions in 2020, with employers contributing 10 per cent and employees eight per cent, to strengthen the pension fund and improve retirees’ financial security.

The commissioner also cited a N5 billion payment made to 1,963 retirees in July 2024 as part of efforts to clear outstanding obligations under the Contributory Pension Scheme.

He described the payment as a major intervention that cleared the CPS backlog at the time.

The government, according to him, has also introduced faster gratuity payments for sick pensioners, while pension components are paid directly into retirees’ Retirement Savings Accounts.

He added that welfare programmes were organised twice yearly to support retirees amid increasing living costs.

For pensioners under the Defined Benefits Scheme, Omotoso said Lagos extended the N25,000 wage award granted to serving workers to more than 10,000 retirees between December 2023 and February 2024.

He said the state subsequently implemented 20 per cent and 28 per cent increases in March 2025.

In May 2026, the government also matched the Federal Government’s N32,000 pension wage increase for DBS retirees, according to Omotoso.

He said the measure had more than doubled the pension wage bill.

Omotoso further disclosed that LASPEC had paid over N4 billion to 1,862 retirees in 2026 and was preparing another N1 billion payment for 700 retirees within a week.

He said the figures reflected the government’s continued efforts to meet its pension obligations.

“Taken together, these milestones, spanning both the Contributory Pension Scheme and the Defined Benefits Scheme, reflect a sustained and deliberate commitment by the Sanwo-Olu/Hamzat administration to the welfare and dignity of Lagos State’s retired public servants,” Omotoso said.

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