RismadarVoice Reporters
October 9, 2026
Pensioners in Ogun State have appealed to Governor Dapo Abiodun to settle outstanding gratuities covering January 2021 to June 2025 and implement pension adjustments to address the rising cost of living.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Ogun State Council, Waheed Oloyede, appealed for the 2026 Pensioners’ Day celebration in Abeokuta.
Oloyede expressed concern over the financial difficulties facing retired workers, particularly those who left public service several decades ago but continue to receive relatively low monthly pensions.
According to him, some pensioners who retired between 10 and 30 years ago still receive as little as ₦30,000 monthly, despite significant increases in the cost of food, healthcare and other essential commodities.
He said the situation had weakened the purchasing power of retirees, leaving many struggling to meet their basic needs.
The union chairman called for the implementation of consequential pension adjustments in accordance with the Federal Government’s 2019 circular and subsequent national minimum wage increases.
He maintained that reviewing pension payments would provide financial relief to retirees and ensure that their benefits reflected prevailing economic realities.
Despite the outstanding demands, Oloyede commended the Abiodun administration for maintaining regular monthly pension payments and addressing portions of the inherited gratuity backlog.
He acknowledged that the government had cleared outstanding gratuities for state retirees up to December 2020 and local government retirees up to December 2021.
According to him, the payments, involving billions of naira, represented progress in addressing longstanding obligations to retired public servants.
Oloyede also praised the introduction of a free health insurance scheme for state and local government pensioners.
However, he urged the agency responsible for administering the programme to investigate complaints about service delivery at some participating healthcare facilities.
He stressed that access to reliable medical care remained essential to the welfare of elderly citizens, particularly those managing age-related health challenges.
Also speaking, the Ogun State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Hameed Ademola-Benco, urged the state government to address unresolved pension matters and ensure retirees received their entitlements without unnecessary delays.
He emphasised the importance of protecting the welfare of workers who had devoted years of service to the state.
Responding on behalf of Governor Abiodun, the Head of Service, Olaranwaju Saka, acknowledged the pensioners’ concerns and assured them that the government was reviewing their requests.
He said the administration remained committed to fulfilling its obligations to retirees and would continue allocating available resources towards clearing outstanding benefits.
The government also reaffirmed its commitment to improving pensioners’ welfare while working within the state’s financial capacity.
The pensioners, however, maintained that settling the outstanding gratuities and implementing appropriate pension adjustments would provide much-needed relief to thousands of retirees across Ogun State.
