The Coalition of Federal Pensioners of Nigeria has issued a fresh warning to the government, vowing to stage a naked protest across the country on October 6 if their outstanding entitlements are not paid.
At a press briefing yesterday, the coalition’s national chairman, Mukaila Ogunbote, said retirees had been “pushed to the wall” after repeated appeals to the government were ignored.
He stressed that the planned demonstration would serve as a symbolic act to expose the neglect pensioners face.
“We have waited too long for what rightfully belongs to us. If the government fails to act by September, we will have no choice but to take to the streets unclothed.
“That will be our way of showing how stripped we are of dignity and justice,” Ogunbote declared.
According to him, while federal workers quickly received the N35,000 palliative approved by President Bola Tinubu in October 2023, pensioners are still awaiting their own N25,000 support package nearly a year later.
He added that retirees had also requested arrears for six months of unpaid palliatives, but no response has come from the authorities.
The coalition further lamented that Tinubu had approved an upward review of pensions by N13,000, but the increment has not been implemented by either the Ministry of Finance or the Office of the Accountant-General.
Ogunbote revealed that when the matter was raised, officials claimed the increase was omitted from the 2024 and 2025 budgets.
“This is nothing short of injustice. How can our welfare be overlooked twice in two consecutive budgets?” the chairman asked.
Several pensioners at the event shared their struggles. Fashola Oluwo, a retired staff member of the Federal Ministry of Information, described life after retirement as “a daily battle for survival.”
He noted that many retirees cannot afford food or medication, with some dying while waiting for their benefits.
Another retiree, Dupe Ogunniyi, made an emotional appeal to the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, to intervene directly with the president.
According to her, most pensioners now carry the additional burden of caring for unemployed children while relying on meagre stipends.
“The hardship is unbearable. We are not asking for luxury, only for what we were promised. Our pensions are our lifeline,” Ogunniyi said.
With the October deadline fast approaching, the coalition insisted that the nationwide protest would go ahead if the federal government did not address their demands.