The Coalition of Federal Pensioners of Nigeria has threatened a nationwide naked protest on October 6 if the government fails to implement pension increments and palliatives.
The coalition’s National Chairman, Mr Mukaila Ogunbote, announced this during a news conference on Tuesday in Lagos.
Ogunbote, who also chairs the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NIPOST Chapter, stated that pensioners had given the government until September to settle arrears, increments, and palliatives.
He warned that failure to act would leave the pensioners with no choice but to embark on a nationwide naked protest on October 6.
According to him, the protest would symbolically expose government failures and highlight pensioners’ grievances before the public.
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 payment within one month of approval, yet pensioners were still waiting for theirs nearly a year later.
Ogunbote noted that workers had since demanded and received additional palliatives for ten months, while pensioners’ requests for six months’ worth remained unmet.
He said President Tinubu had also directed an increase of N13,000 in pensions, but no implementation had followed from the Ministry of Finance or the Accountant-General.
“When we enquired, we were told our N32,000 increment was omitted from both the 2024 and 2025 budgets. This is injustice,” Ogunbote declared.
Mr Fashola Oluwo, a retiree from the Federal Ministry of Information, urged questioning of officials who failed to implement the President’s directive.
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