Hundreds of pensioners on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest in Lagos, demanding the payment of 35 months’ worth of outstanding entitlements.
The demonstrators, comprising retirees from various government agencies including the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL), the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), and the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), accused the Federal Government of neglecting their welfare and showing insensitivity to their struggles.
Wearing branded T-shirts and carrying placards with messages such as “Pay Us Our Entitlements Now” and “35 Months Without Pay is Injustice”, the pensioners marched to the Lagos office of the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD).
Spokesperson for the group, Mr. John Oloyede, decried the severe hardship caused by the non-payment, noting that some retirees had died from poverty-related challenges while others struggled to afford basic needs. He urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene immediately and ensure the release of the ₦35,000 palliative earlier promised to them.
Security personnel were deployed to strategic points to maintain order, and the protest ended without incident after the pensioners submitted a petition to PTAD officials.
As of the time of filing this report, the Federal Government had not issued an official response.
