The National Union of Pensioners (NUP) reported that certain state retirees receive as little as N450, N500, and N1,000 as their monthly pension.

This declaration came from the union president, Godwin Abumisi, during a press briefing held in Abuja on Thursday.

Abumisi expressed sorrow over the economic downturn in the country, highlighting that numerous members of the union are facing considerable hardships.

“In Nigeria, the government does not think about the poor people.

“Otherwise, how can pensioners in Enugu receive as low as N450 as a monthly pension? We have been saying this, but it seems as if we are crying wolf, but it is a reality,” he said.

Abumusi highlighted the issue of retirees receiving extremely low pension payments, ranging from N450 to N1,000, which is particularly widespread in the Southeastern states.

The NUP President further elucidated that the variation in pension rates across the country stemmed from a lack of pension harmonisation, a matter the union has consistently advocated for.

Abumisi emphasized that the situation is compounded by many states’ failure to implement the reviewed minimum wage of N18,000 in 2010 and N30,000 in 2019.

He pointed out that the failure of numerous state governments to implement and review the minimum wage has also resulted in pension increases corresponding to these wage reviews not being realized in the referenced states.

In 2023, the Federal Government expressed interest in raising the pension of retirees, as indicated in the report on pension harmonisation submitted to the Federal Government by the National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission.

The NSIWC informed the executive committee of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (All Sectoral Units/Parastatals) Nationwide that the commission was actively following up on the report submitted to the Federal Government regarding retirees’ pensions.