Lagos State pensioners on Monday defied police deployment of tear gas and occupied the entrance of the Lagos State Government House in Alausa, demanding payment of outstanding pension entitlements after the expiration of a 19-day ultimatum and an additional seven-day extension issued to the state government.
The retirees, under the Nigeria Union of Pensioners/Contributory Pension Scheme (NUP/CPS), had marched from the Shoprite area to the Governor’s Office, carrying placards and singing solidarity songs. Following the use of tear gas to disperse them, the protesters declared that their peaceful demonstration had become an “occupy Government House” action until their demands were met.
Some of the pensioners spread a large banner on the ground and sat on it at the main entrance, while others sat along the road divider under the scorching sun. They expressed anger over what they described as prolonged neglect and financial hardship after decades of service to the Lagos State Government.
The retirees said their major demand was the implementation of approved pension increases and wage awards, as well as payment of arrears dating back several years.
Chairman of the NUP, Lagos State Council, Olufemi Olanrewaju, alleged that more than 2,000 pensioners had died while waiting for their outstanding benefits, while many others were battling ill-health and financial hardship.
They also criticised the state government over the use of police tear gas, saying retirees who had served the state for up to 35 years deserved payment of their accrued benefits rather than what they described as harassment. “All we want to see or hear now is alert of payment in our phones, not long grammar,” the pensioners chorused.
The state government led by the Chief of Staff, Mr Tayo Ayinde, appealed for calm and denied that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu ordered the police to use tear gas against the protesters. Ayinde said the governor had apologised over the alleged misunderstanding and insisted that he did not direct the police to disperse the pensioners.
Ayinde and representatives of the pensioners, alongside the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Lagos State Council, led by Comrade Funmi Sessi, subsequently held a closed-door meeting which lasted about two and a half hours. However, the pensioners expressed disappointment when the meeting ended without an immediate payment commitment.
Sessi later announced that Governor Sanwo-Olu was expected to return to the country during the week and would personally meet with the pensioners on Thursday. She said the outcome of the meeting would determine whether the protest would continue on Friday. The more than 2,000 pensioners subsequently left the Government House premises around 4:45pm.
Meanwhile, the National Pension Commission (PenCom) said it had intervened in the dispute and engaged the Lagos State Government and Lagos State Pension Commission (LASPEC) over the implementation of pension increases and wage awards for eligible Contributory Pension Scheme retirees. The commission said it recognised the retirees’ concerns and the need to ensure that all benefits legitimately due to them were addressed.
PenCom, however, explained that pension enhancements involved processes including determining eligibility, applicable adjustments, actuarial liabilities, funding, data verification and issuing relevant instructions to Pension Fund Administrators. It said it was engaging the relevant stakeholders to ensure that the outstanding issues were properly addressed.
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