The National Pension Commission has opened discussions with the Lagos State Government and the Lagos State Pension Commission over delayed pension increases and wage awards for retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme, following a protest that turned tense in Ikeja.
Pensioners under the Nigeria Union of Pensioners and the Contributory Pension Scheme gathered at Lagos House and the Lagos State House of Assembly on Monday, demanding the implementation of approved pension adjustments, wage awards, outstanding arrears and other benefits.
The demonstration became tense after police reportedly fired tear gas to disperse some of the protesters.
The action followed repeated warnings by the retirees. Earlier in August, the Lagos State Council of the NUPCPS gave the state government an August 31 deadline to implement the pension enhancement and wage award, threatening mass action if the demand was not met.
PenCom has now stepped into the dispute, saying it recognises the importance of ensuring that retirees receive all benefits legitimately due to them.
The commission confirmed that it had engaged the Lagos State Government and LASPEC on the administration of pensions under the CPS, particularly the implementation of pension adjustments for eligible retirees.
PenCom explained that the process involves several technical stages before payments can be made.
These include determining which retirees qualify for the adjustments, establishing the applicable increases, calculating the resulting actuarial liabilities, identifying funding requirements and providing relevant data and instructions to Pension Fund Administrators.
The regulator said it was working with the relevant stakeholders to resolve the outstanding issues.
It did not, however, provide a specific timeline for when the affected retirees would begin receiving the pension increases and wage awards.
For the pensioners, the delay has become increasingly difficult to accept.
Chairman of the Lagos State Council of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Olufemi Olanrewaju, alleged during the protest that more than 2,000 pensioners had died while waiting for their outstanding entitlements.
He also claimed that many other retirees were battling illness and financial hardship. The allegation has not been independently verified.
Chairman of the Lagos State NUPCPS, Michael Omisande, said the pensioners would continue their agitation until their outstanding benefits were paid.
The dispute has highlighted the complexities surrounding pension adjustments under the contributory system, where changes require coordination between government authorities, PFAs and pension regulators.
The Lagos State Government has previously highlighted payments made to retirees. The state reportedly disbursed more than N92bn in accrued rights to over 25,000 retirees between May 2019 and mid-2026.
However, the current dispute centres specifically on pension increases, wage awards and consequential adjustments for eligible CPS retirees.
PenCom said it would continue working with the Lagos State Government, LASPEC, PFAs and pensioners’ representatives towards a resolution.
The intervention is expected to provide a framework for determining eligibility, funding obligations and the eventual implementation of the outstanding adjustments.
For the retirees, the key issue now is whether the renewed engagement will translate into actual payments and how quickly those payments can be made.
