The Coalition of Federal Pensioners of Nigeria has threatened to stage a nationwide naked protest on 6 October if the Federal Government fails to implement approved pension increments and palliatives.
National Chairman of the coalition, Mr. Mukaila Ogunbote, issued the warning on Tuesday during a press conference in Lagos.
Ogunbote, who also chairs the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NIPOST Chapter), said pensioners had given the government until the end of September to settle arrears, increments, and palliatives.
He recalled that President Bola Tinubu, in October 2023, approved N35,000 for workers and N25,000 for pensioners as palliatives. While workers received theirs within a month, he said, pensioners had yet to benefit nearly a year later.
“Workers have since received additional palliatives for 10 months, while pensioners’ requests for six months remain unattended,” he said.
He added that although the President approved a N13,000 pension increase, the Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant-General had failed 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,” he declared.
Other retirees at the briefing echoed his concerns. Mr. Fashola Oluwo, a retiree from the Federal Ministry of Information, demanded accountability from officials delaying payments.
Mrs. Dupe Ogunniyi of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria appealed to the First Lady to intervene, noting that many retirees still support unemployed children and rely solely on their pensions for survival.
Former Lagos NUP chairman, Mr. Adebola Akinduture, emphasised that hunger was the biggest issue.
“We are hungry. Food is medicine, yet without it, medicine is meaningless. Pensioners are starving,” he said, vowing that retirees would march naked on 6 October if the government fails to act.
