The Coalition of Federal Pensioners of Nigeria has threatened a nationwide naked protest on October 6 if the federal government fails to implement pension increments and palliatives.
Alhaji Mukaila Ogunbote, national chairman of the coalition and leader of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NIPOST chapter, announced this on Tuesday at a news conference in Lagos.
Ogunbote said the government had until the end of September to settle arrears, increments and palliatives.
He warned that failure to act would leave pensioners with no choice but to embark on the protest.
According to him, the protest would symbolically expose government failures and highlight the grievances of pensioners.
Ogunbote recalled that in October 2023, President Bola Tinubu approved N35,000 for workers and N25,000 for pensioners as palliatives.
He said workers received their payments within one month of approval, but pensioners were still waiting nearly a year later.
“Workers have since demanded and received additional palliatives for ten months, while pensioners’ requests for six months’ worth remain unmet,” Ogunbote said.
He added that Tinubu had 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,” he declared.
Fashola Oluwo, a retiree from the Federal Ministry of Information, urged that officials who failed to implement the president’s directive should be held accountable.
Oluwo lamented that pensioners continued to struggle despite the increment being inadequate for the rising cost of living.
He said many retirees could not afford essential medication, while some had died waiting for their benefits.
Dupe Ogunniyi, a pensioner from the FRCN, appealed to the First Lady to intervene with the president on behalf of retirees.
She said many pensioners were still supporting unemployed graduate children and relied solely on their pensions for survival.
Adebola Akinduture, former chairman of the Lagos NUP, said hunger was the central grievance of pensioners.
“We are hungry. Food is medicine, yet without it, medicine is meaningless. Pensioners are starving,” Akinduture said.
He vowed that pensioners would take to the streets naked on October 6 if the government ignored their demands.
