In Nigeria, some retired people are getting only N500 to N3500 each month as their pension. This was shared by the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP).
This situation shows how hard it is for people who worked all their lives in public service to live on very small pensions.
Alhassan Musa, the NUP Secretary from Kaduna State, talked about this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Musa is very worried about the tough times many retired people are going through.
“These people gave their lives and work for the country, and now they have to survive on very little money,” he said sadly.
Getting the Full Picture
Musa said the problem is really bad in some southern and oil-producing states, even though these places get a lot of money from the government.
He mentioned that things are a bit better for pensioners in some northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). In these places, pensioners get between N3,500 and N18,000 each month.
“The worst-off are the retired people in many southern and oil-producing states even though they get big amounts from the government coffers,” Musa said.
“In some northern states and the FCT, things are a bit better. Pensioners there get between N3,500 and N18,000 a month.”
Musa did mention that Kaduna State is different from other northern states.
In 2020, former Governor Nasir El-Rufa’i made a rule that the minimum pension in Kaduna State is N30,000. This set a new standard that other states haven’t met yet.
What You Should Know
To help retired people who are struggling, Musa said pensions should go up by 50%. He thinks this raise is needed because of how things are in Nigeria today.
“Even when the national minimum wage was N30,000, we said pensions should go up by 50%. Now, with the new N70,000 national minimum wage, it’s even more important,” Musa said.
Musa also asked the Federal Government to make sure no retired person gets less than N70,000 a month. He thinks pensions should match the new minimum wage for workers.
“If workers are getting a minimum salary of N70,000, retired people should get the same. Pensions should be equal to the national minimum wage,” he added.
Musa also called on Governor Uba Sani to follow the example of the former governor and be the first to make the N70,000 minimum pension a reality.
Problems Faced by Retired Workers
- Musa talked about the big problems faced by workers who retired under the contributory pension system. Many have not been able to get their benefits for up to ten years.
- He said many retired people, even those who worked for the federal government, are still waiting for their money to be added to their accounts.
- Normally, a worker should get their pension within three months of retiring and receive their lump sum quickly.
- Musa blamed the delay on the failure of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to send monthly contributions to the workers’ accounts as they should.
- He said that Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) and the Pension Commission (PENCOM) are not to blame. Instead, the main problem lies within the government’s system.