By Dada Ahmed.
In Nigeria, a growing number of retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) are struggling, facing what they describe as a slow erosion of their rights and a government bureaucracy that has left them marginalized. Their demand is simple but pressing: they seek the payment of their pension arrears and increments, which they argue are long overdue.
This issue, now at the center of their recent rally in Abuja, has underscored the retirees’ frustration and the pressing need for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene decisively.
For retirees in the CPS, the dream of a secure retirement has turned into a continuous struggle. Under the scheme, workers contribute a portion of their earnings with the promise of a reliable pension in their later years. But that promise remains largely unfulfilled, as payments for accrued rights and scheduled pension increments have lagged behind.
According to Comrade Sylva Nwajwu, National Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners Contributory Pension Scheme (NUPCPS), the blame for this delay lies primarily with the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF). This, he argues, amounts to sabotage and has inflicted economic hardships on CPS retirees.
President Tinubu’s administration recently set up a high-powered committee to review government liabilities in the CPS sector and develop a plan to settle these outstanding payments. However, retirees fear that without prompt and decisive executive action, these efforts could face the same fate as previous initiatives. They are now calling on President Tinubu to act swiftly and ensure the OAGF releases the required funds.
Nwajwu noted that since Mrs. Oluwatoyin Sakirat Madein became the Accountant General, the situation has worsened, with CPS retirees enduring increased neglect and socio-economic hardship. He added that many of these senior citizens who spent their careers in public service, have been facing medical and financial distress in retirement. As the union sees it, these delays not only violate the Pension Reform Act of 2014 and the 1999 Constitution, but they also show a lack of empathy for people who dedicated their lives to building the nation.
The union also points to the disparity in treatment between CPS retirees and those under the older Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS). It regrets that while DBS retirees have received regular pension increases, including a 15% boost in 2007, a 33% increase in 2010, and a recent adjustment based on the new national minimum wage, CPS retirees have been consistently overlooked. This gap has widened in recent years, with CPS retirees unable to benefit from the same protections afforded to their DBS counterparts.
These disparities underscore the sense of injustice felt by many CPS retirees, who see their plight as evidence of systemic bias. Despite their constitutional right to pension payments and increments, retirees feel sidelined by a federal government they claim ,appears reluctant to address their grievances.
At the recent rally, retirees shared heartbreaking stories of hardship and medical neglect. Many, they noted, are dying from preventable illnesses or are bedridden due to lack of funds. For these elderly citizens, the reality is harsh: after decades of work, they face poverty and suffering due to delayed or denied entitlements.
NUPCPS is now issuing a public appeal, urging President Tinubu to prevent a nationwide protest by immediately ordering the release of funds for CPS arrears. “This press conference and peaceful rally wouldn’t have been necessary if not for the gross negligence of CPS retirees by the OAGF,” said Nwajwu. He emphasized that for the welfare of the nation’s retirees, President Tinubu’s intervention is crucial.
Labour analysts describe the plight of CPS retirees as emblematic of a broader issue affecting Nigeria’s pension system.
As Nwajwu and other union leaders noted, the mismanagement of the CPS impacts not only today’s retirees but also every current worker contributing to the scheme, who could one day face the same challenges.
As Nigeria considers its path forward, CPS retirees are making it clear that they won’t remain silent. For them, this issue is about justice and dignity in retirement, and they hope President Tinubu will take the necessary executive steps to correct these longstanding grievances.
(Ahmed, a CPS retiree, publishes The Reporters, an online publication.
ahmeddada008@gmail.com.)
