Lagos Pensioners Give Govt August 31 Deadline Over Delayed Increase

The Lagos State Government has defended its record on pension payments, saying it has prioritised the welfare of retirees amid a protest by pensioners over the delayed implementation of a pension increase.

Hundreds of pensioners under the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Contributory Pension Scheme, marched through parts of Lagos on Monday, accusing the state government and the Lagos State Pension Commission of delaying an increase they said had already been approved.

The pensioners warned that failure by the government to implement the adjustment by August 31 would lead to a larger protest across the state.

Responding in a statement posted on Facebook on Tuesday, the Lagos State Government said its administration had recorded what it described as the most outstanding performance on pension matters in the history of the state.

The government said the Lagos State Pension Commission had paid N168.2bn to more than 48,000 retirees from 2007 to date.

It added that between May 2019 and August 2026, the state government had disbursed N92bn in accrued rights to more than 25,000 retirees.

According to the government, accrued rights comprise both gratuity and pension components owed to retiring officers, adding that the administration had prioritised the prompt settlement of both obligations.

The government also said it increased pension contribution rates in 2020 to 10 per cent for employers and eight per cent for employees, describing the measure as an intervention aimed at strengthening workers’ financial security at retirement.

It said an additional N5bn was released in July 2024 to pay 1,963 retirees in a single batch, which it said cleared the outstanding backlog of pension obligations under the Contributory Pension Scheme.

The government further disclosed that it had introduced an expedited gratuity payment policy for sick pensioners, while the pension component continued to be paid into their Retirement Savings Accounts in line with established procedures.

On welfare interventions, the government said it had conducted bi-annual programmes for retirees to cushion the impact of rising living costs.

For pensioners under the Defined Benefits Scheme, the government said it extended the N25,000 wage award given to state workers to more than 10,000 retirees between December 2023 and February 2024.

It added that the category subsequently received increments of 20 per cent and 28 per cent in March 2025.

The government said that in May 2026, it also matched the Federal Government’s N32,000 pension increase for its own Defined Benefits Scheme retirees.

According to the government, the intervention had increased the pension wage bill by more than 100 per cent.

It further disclosed that LASPEC had paid 1,862 retirees more than N4bn so far in 2026, while another N1bn was expected to be disbursed to 700 retirees within one week.

Despite these figures, the protesting pensioners maintained that the government had failed to implement the latest pension increase they said had been approved.

The pensioners accused the government and LASPEC of delaying the adjustment despite previous assurances, expressing concern that the delay could persist beyond the tenure of the current administration.

They said the situation was particularly troubling given the rising cost of living and the financial difficulties faced by elderly pensioners.

The pensioners therefore gave the state government until August 31 to respond positively, warning that failure to do so would trigger a larger protest in Lagos.

The government, however, said its record of payments and welfare interventions demonstrated its commitment to the dignity and wellbeing of retired public servants, describing Lagos as a model in pension administration.