Ogunbote further said workers had since demanded and received additional palliatives for ten months, while pensioners’ requests for six months’ worth remained unmet.
The Coalition of Federal Pensioners of Nigeria on Tuesday threatened to embark on a nationwide “naked” protest on October 6 if the President Bola Tinubu-led government fails to implement pension increments and palliatives.
According to the coalition’s National Chairman, Mr. Mukaila Ogunbote, who doubles as the chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NIPOST Chapter, pensioners had given the government until September to settle arrears, increments, and palliatives.
In a news conference in Lagos State, he warned that failure to act would leave the pensioners with no choice but to embark on the nationwide protest, stressing that the demonstration would be a symbolic way of exposing government failures and highlighting pensioners’ grievances before the public.
Recalling developments from last year, Ogunbote said President Tinubu in October 2023 approved N35,000 for workers and N25,000 for pensioners as palliatives.
He noted that while workers received their payments within a month of approval, pensioners were still waiting nearly a year later.
Ogunbote further said workers had since demanded and received additional palliatives for ten months, while pensioners’ requests for six months’ worth remained unmet.
He added that President Tinubu also directed an increase of N13,000 in pensions, but the Ministry of Finance and the Accountant-General had yet to implement it.
“When we enquired, we were told our N32,000 increment was omitted from both the 2024 and 2025 budgets. This is injustice,” Ogunbote declared.
In a related development, SaharaReporters earlier reported that aggrieved retired police officers declared plans to resume their nationwide protest on September 29, demanding an end to decades of what they described as “injustice, betrayal, and slave-like pensions” forced on them under Nigeria’s Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).
The announcement came on Monday in Abuja, where scores of the retirees gathered at the Federal High Court in solidarity with human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, who is facing charges brought by the police boss, Kayode Egbetokun.
Speaking to journalists, the aggrieved officers accused successive Inspectors-General of Police of negotiating pension reforms to benefit only the elite ranks — from AIGs to IGPs — while abandoning rank-and-file officers to retire in poverty after 35 years of service.
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