Angry pensioners have vowed to storm the streets naked in a nationwide protest on October 6 if the Federal Government fails to pay long-overdue arrears, increments, and palliatives.
The Coalition of Federal Pensioners of Nigeria, led by its National Chairman, Mukaila Ogunbote, sounded the warning at a fiery press conference in Lagos on Tuesday. Ogunbote, who also chairs the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NIPOST Chapter), said retirees had exhausted their patience.
Ogunbote recalled that in October 2023, President Bola Tinubu approved N35,000 for workers and N25,000 for pensioners as palliatives. But while workers got their payments within one month, pensioners are still waiting nearly a year later.
He fumed that workers had since received 10 months of additional palliatives, while pensioners’ pleas for six months’ relief were ignored.
“When we enquired, we were told our N32,000 increment was omitted from both the 2024 and 2025 budgets. This is injustice,” Ogunbote declared.
Retiree Fashola Oluwo, of the Federal Ministry of Information, demanded accountability from officials blocking the President’s directives, lamenting that many pensioners were dying while waiting for relief.
Mrs. Dupe Ogunniyi of FRCN made an emotional appeal to the First Lady to intervene, noting that many retirees still shoulder the burden of unemployed graduate children.
Former Lagos NUP Chairman, Adebola Akinduture, put it bluntly, “We are hungry. Food is medicine, yet without it, medicine is meaningless. Pensioners are starving,” he said, vowing that retirees will bare it all in the streets on October 6 if the government fails to act.
