The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has raised alarm over the dire conditions facing many retirees, some of whom are still receiving as little as N500 as their monthly pension.
Alhassan Musa, the union’s Secretary in Kaduna State, described the situation as “pathetic” during a recent interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), calling for urgent intervention to improve the lives of those who dedicated their careers to public service.
Musa pointed out that retirees in Southern and oil-producing states are among the worst affected, despite these regions receiving substantial allocations from the federation account.
Conversely, pensioners in Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are in slightly better conditions, with pensions ranging from N3,500 to N18,000.
He further noted that Kaduna State stands out as an exception, where former Governor Nasir El-Rufa’i implemented a N30,000 minimum pension in 2020. Musa called on the current governor, Uba Sani, to take the lead in implementing the new N70,000 national minimum pension for retirees.
The NUP is advocating a 50% increase in the minimum pension to match the new national minimum wage of N70,000, stressing that pensioners deserve the same economic relief as current workers.
The union also highlighted ongoing challenges faced by those under the contributory pension system, many of whom are still awaiting their benefits years after retirement.
