By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
Hundreds of Lagos pensioners under the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Contributory Pension Scheme, took to the streets in a warning protest over the delayed implementation of a pension increase, threatening a larger demonstration should the state government fail to respond by August 31.
The protest was staged on Monday, 24 August, 2026 across parts of Lagos State, with the pensioners accusing the government and the Lagos State Pension Commission (LASPEC) of dragging their feet on the payment of an increase they said had already been approved but was yet to be effected.
Speaking on the same day, the union’s secretary, Olagbaye Johnson, explained that the demonstration was meant to give the government a final opportunity to resolve the matter before a larger mobilisation. “What brought about today’s warning protest is to give the government an ultimatum: if we do not get a response by August 31, there will be a mega protest,” he said.
Johnson said the pensioners expected Lagos State to follow through on its commitment to increase benefits for contributory pensioners, in line with the Federal Government’s recent decision to review benefits at the federal level.
He noted that President Bola Tinubu had approved N758 billion for contributory pensioners at the federal level, insisting that whatever happens at the federal level should also apply at the state level, since the Contributory Pension Act is exclusive.
According to Johnson, the pensioners had previously engaged officials of the Lagos State Government over the matter and were assured that the state would implement the increase once the Federal Government did so.
He recalled that after obtaining the template used by the Federal Government, the union submitted it to the state Head of Service and the leadership of the pension commission, adding that actuarial valuators completed their assessment in May this year, after which the process stalled.
He lamented that despite repeated visits to the Head of Service, Mr Agoro, and the Governor’s Office, the pensioners’ demands had continued to receive no positive response, while their members kept dying.
The union further expressed concern that the matter could be inherited by a new administration if it remained unresolved before the 2027 general election, warning that the promise to pay could be transferred to the next government if elections were held before implementation.
Johnson disclosed that the pensioners had already mobilised across their 26 zones in Lagos and would converge on Alausa the following week should the government fail to respond positively.
Reacting to the protest, LASPEC issued a statement on Monday, which highlighted the Sanwo-Olu administration’s record on pension payments rather than directly addressing the pensioners’ warning or the August 31 deadline.
The commission described the government’s performance on pension matters as the most outstanding in the state’s history, stating that Lagos had paid N168.2 billion to more than 48,000 retirees from 2007 to date, including N92 billion in accrued rights to more than 25,000 retirees since Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu assumed office in May 2019.
It explained that accrued rights comprise both the gratuity and pension elements owed to a retiring officer, adding that the administration had prioritised the prompt and full settlement of both components.
LASPEC also cited the government’s 2020 decision to raise pension contributions to 10 per cent for employers and eight per cent for employees, describing the move as a deliberate policy intervention designed to grow the pension fund available to staff at retirement and strengthen the scheme’s sustainability.
It further referenced a N5 billion payment made to 1,963 retirees in July 2024, which it said cleared all outstanding backlogs in pension obligations under the Contributory Pension Scheme.
The commission stated that it had introduced expedited gratuity payments for sick pensioners, while pension components continued to be paid into retirees’ Retirement Savings Accounts.
On welfare support, LASPEC said the government conducted programmes twice a year to provide relief to retirees affected by rising living costs.
It also pointed to interventions for pensioners under the Defined Benefits Scheme, noting that the government extended N25,000 wage awards to more than 10,000 retirees between December 2023 and February 2024, followed by increases of 20 per cent and 28 per cent for the category in March 2025.
The commission added that, so far this year, it had paid 1,862 retirees a total of over N4 billion and was poised to disburse a further N1 billion to another 700 retirees within the following week, describing the payments as evidence of the administration’s unbroken commitment to clearing pension obligations as they arise.
Despite the extensive account of its pension record, the commission’s statement did not directly address the central demand raised by the pensioners during Monday’s protest, namely whether and when the latest pension increase would be implemented.
When contacted, a public affairs officer with the commission, Titilayo Ajirotutu, questioned the rationale behind the planned escalation.
“I don’t know why they are still going ahead with the protest. They have said they should calm down,” she said.
Responding to the pensioners’ claim that the actuarial assessment had been concluded since May and acknowledged by the government, a development they cited as justification for mounting pressure, Ajirotutu disputed the assertion, noting that multiple agencies were involved in the calculation and disbursement process. “Are they the ones in our office? They are not the ones in government. It is not only LASPEC,” she said.
The pensioners, however, have maintained August 31 as their deadline for a positive response, with their leadership insisting that a larger mobilisation at Alausa would follow should the government fail to meet their demand.
