News
Verified federal retirees lament over 10 years’ unpaid pensions
Despite series of verification exercises by the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate, many federal retirees have continued to complain of prolonged unpaid pensions, NIKE POPOOLA reports
Many retirees have complained of non-payment of their pensions and gratuities more than 10 years after leaving the services of the Federal Government despite participating in verification exercises conducted by the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate.
Some of the affected retirees, who decried that many of their members had died without collecting their entitlements called on the Federal Government to pay their entitlements.
PTAD, the government agency administering the pensions of retirees under the Defined Benefits Scheme, had however admitted that some retirees were owed their pensions, but denied owing up to five years’ arrears.
Many senior citizens, who served the country in their active days, have been allegedly neglected by the government with many succumbing to early death due to the inability to access their pension benefits.
Some of the challenges facing the Nigerian pensioners include non-payment of gratuity and pension, omission of retirees’ names on government list, and delisting of retirees’ names from the government payroll.
Irregularities in pension data over the years have made it difficult for the government to come up with accurate information on the number of retirees in the country. As a result, the government has been unable to identify the total number of genuine retirees to be placed on its payroll.
To correct the abnormalities, the PTAD was established as an agency of the Federal Government in 2013 to revamp the pension system of federal retirees under the old Defined Benefits Scheme.
However, findings by The PUNCH revealed that PTAD was far finding solutions to the challenges facing the federal retirees.
Retirees who spoke with our correspondent narrated how they had been denied their retirement benefits.
Mr Adeleke Ajose, who retired from the Federal Ministry of Information in 2006, recounted her ordeals in the hands of PTAD officials.
Ajose said, “I did verification since 2017. I have visited PTAD office in Abuja and, Lagos. I have made several calls and the only response I have been getting is that I should have patience; ‘we will get back’.
“They tell me everything is in order. I was called after the verification in 2017 and they asked for some documents which I sent to them and they acknowledged receiving it.
“I even spoke to a lawyer friend of mine and he has written about three letters to PTAD and none was replied. I have not got anything. I have not been placed on monthly payroll.”
Another federal pensioner, Mr Cyril Etuk, who retired from NICON Insurance before its privatisation in 2005, said his pension arrears was still pending with PTAD.
He said, “The pension payment was supposed to have started since 2005. We did not start receiving pensions until around 2018. We were not paid those arrears. It was in 2019 that they started paying yearly arrears.
“There is still backlog from 2005 when NICON was sold till now. And again, apart from that one, there is also arrears of the harmonisation of 33 per cent increase of which we were paid 50 per cent while 50 per cent is still outstanding.
“As much as we want to thank the Federal Government and thank PTAD for starting the payment, we want the arrears of about 12 years to be paid.
“Our former colleagues are dying as many of them had no money to take care of their medical bills. This month, we lost two members, one has been buried remaining one.”
Mr Olujebe Martins retired from the Federal Ministry of Justice in 1994.
Narrating his experience, he said, “I have not been paid for years and I did verification in 2017. I retired in 1994 and collected pensions until it stopped in 2012 and up till now, they have not paid me a dime. Anytime I go to PTAD, they keep asking me to fill forms which I have been filling. I retired at Level 06.”
In June, PTAD disclosed that it received £26.5m repatriated from the United Kingdom. These pension funds had hitherto been under investment with Crown Agents Investment Management Limited, United Kingdom.
Pensioners had expected that the funds would be urgently used to settle arrears before the death of more retirees.
However, the Executive Secretary of PTAD, Chioma Ejikeme, while reacting said, “Those funds have to go through an administrative process and we are almost there. The funds are certainly going to be applied to the payment of the inherited arrears.
“That some PTAD retirees have not been paid for five years is not correct. Except they are pensioners who had not been on payroll and not verified and were verified during the Parastatals Pension Verification concluded in Nov 2019. Yes, we are owing pensioners of defunct/privatised agencies various months of inherited arrears.”
During a North-Central stakeholders’ forum at Ilorin, Kwara State, recently, Ejike said it opened up more channels of communication and complaints resolution to enable it serve better even during the lockdown occasioned by COVID-19.
She said, “Despite the lockdown, PTAD continued to pay monthly pensions promptly, resolve complaints, and even cleared the accrued arrears, death benefits to some next-of-kin and one-off payments of some defunct agencies such as the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company, ex-workers of Aluminium Smelter Company of Nigeria, as well as some pensioners of NITEL/MTEL.”
In 2020, the PTAD boss said she also approved the commencement of an expanded re-validation and re-computation exercise in a bid to onboard verified pensioners not on payroll, clear all outstanding pension arrears and resolve all complaints of short payments and outstanding gratuities for the civil service pensioners and their next of kin.
At the end of the project, she said the directorate was able to review, compute, re-compute and pay over N7bn to over 24,000 pensioners. According to her, the computation exercise is still ongoing.
The PTAD boss noted that some retirees were dropped from the payroll.
She explained, “The post verification validation for the Parastatal Pension Department is ongoing. Over 21,000 unverified pensioners were dropped from the payroll in October 2020.
“So far, over 2,500 out of the 21,000 unverified pensioners dropped in October have been verified, restored to the payroll with the attendant arrears paid.”
According to her, the onboarding of verified pensioners not on payroll is still ongoing.
She said, “Some of the accrued and inherited arrears paid by the directorate include the 33 per cent increment arrears owed pensioners in the Parastatals Pension Department in December 2019; completion of the one-off payment to 603 verified ex-workers of the Aluminium Smelter Company of Nigeria. PTAD also completely made a one-off payment to 620 ex-workers of the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company.”
She said PTAD added ex-workers of Assurance Bank to the payroll and paid their arrears. It also paid part of the arrears owed ex-workers of NITEL/MTEL and some next-of-kin.
Ejikeme added that PTAD also paid some months of inherited arrears to defunct agencies – NITEL/MTEL, New Nigerian Newspaper, Delta Steel Company, NICON Insurance, and Nigeria Re-Insurance, ranging from two to twenty-four months.
PUNCH.
Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has reassured the public that safety remains the overriding priority of Enugu Air following Thursday’s runway excursion involving one of the airline’s aircraft at Benin Airport.
Reacting to the incident for the first time in a statement personally signed on Friday, the governor expressed sympathy with the passengers and crew members on board the aircraft, while thanking God that no lives were lost and no injuries were recorded.
The Embraer E170 aircraft, operating as Flight 4264 from Lagos to Benin, experienced a runway excursion after landing at Benin Airport on Thursday.
Mbah said the state government was closely monitoring the situation and pledged full cooperation with aviation authorities investigating the incident.
“The Enugu State Government is aware of the incident of a runway excursion affecting Enugu Air, Embraer E170, Flight 4264, operating into Benin Airport from Lagos on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
“The government empathises with the 63 passengers and five crew members on board the aircraft over the traumatic experience and is thankful to God that no life was lost and no injuries have so far been reported,” the governor said.
He commended the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) for swiftly launching an investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident, assuring that Enugu Air would cooperate fully with investigators and relevant regulatory agencies.
“The government commends the swiftness of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) in embarking on the ongoing investigation to determine the circumstances and factors that may have led to the incident. The government will ensure the full cooperation of its going concern, Enugu Air, with the investigation and regulatory authorities,” Mbah stated.
While urging the public to await the outcome of the investigation, the governor maintained that the airline operates under stringent safety protocols that place passenger welfare above commercial interests.
“While the outcome of the investigation is awaited, the government assures the public that the operations of Enugu Air are guided by the highest safety standards. The airline is founded on a corporate culture that places safety above profit and schedule, and its quality assurance and quality control systems stipulate a safety threshold that is considerably higher than the industry benchmark,” he said.
Mbah said the airline’s uncompromising safety culture had contributed significantly to the growing confidence and patronage it had enjoyed since commencing operations.
“This accounts for the growing confidence and patronage the airline has continued to enjoy from both passengers and industry stakeholders. Enugu Air will therefore continue to serve its teeming customers and abide by its utmost commitment to safety, professionalism, and a sense of hospitality,” he added.
The governor also expressed appreciation to Nigerians for the widespread support and goodwill shown to the airline in the aftermath of the incident, noting that many passengers had continued to share positive experiences about flying with Enugu Air.
“We wish to express our profound gratitude to Nigerians for the outpouring of solidarity since the unfortunate incident. Quite uncommonly, Nigerians have continued to share their positive experiences with Enugu Air since it was launched a year ago. This matters so much to us as a government at this time,” Mbah said.
The runway excursion involving the state-owned carrier has drawn national attention. However, with all 63 passengers and five crew members safely evacuated, attention has now shifted to the outcome of the ongoing investigation by aviation authorities.
Amupitan gave the assurance during a courtesy visit to former Head of State and Chairman of the National Peace Committee, General Abdulsalam Abubakar (retd.), at his residence in Minna, Niger State, on Friday.
The commission’s chairman led a delegation comprising National Commissioners, the Secretary to the Commission, directors and his technical aides.
Amupitan described Abubakar as “the father of democracy in Nigeria”, noting that his transition to civilian rule in 1999 marked a defining moment in the country’s democratic history.
The INEC chairman said the commission regarded the former Head of State “not merely as a statesman but as a pillar of support for INEC.”
He also commended Abubakar’s role as Chairman of the National Peace Committee, describing its Peace Accord initiative as “a moralising influence on Nigeria’s political ecosystem.”
According to INEC, Amupitan said the initiative had provided political actors with a platform to commit to non-violence, thereby strengthening “the sovereignty of the will of the Nigerian people.”
The INEC chairman told Abubakar that, regardless of the pressures confronting the commission, it remained committed to ensuring that the will of Nigerians as expressed at the polls would prevail.
He said, “The Commission’s determination under my leadership was to see ordinary Nigerians go out and vote, confident that their votes would be duly counted and reflected in the outcome of elections,” describing this as “the core assurance INEC owed the electorate.”
Amupitan also formally confirmed the dates for the 2027 general elections.
According to INEC, the Presidential and National Assembly elections will hold on January 16, 2027, while the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will take place on February 6, 2027.
Abubakar, in turn, called on Nigerians to support INEC ahead of the 2027 general elections.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, has approved the expansion of the Nigerian Army’s structure from eight to twelve divisions—a landmark move to enhance the country’s security architecture and improve the operational effectiveness of the Nigerian Army.
In a statement, Special Adviser to the President on (Information & Strategy) Bayo Onanuga says, “this approval underscores the President’s unwavering commitment to equipping the Armed Forces to address Nigeria’s evolving security challenges effectively and to strengthen national defence capabilities further.”According to the statement, “the expansion builds on the Administration’s sustained investments in the Armed Forces, including approval for the recruitment of 28,000 additional personnel, acquisition of critical military platforms and equipment, improvements in troop welfare, and ongoing support for operational readiness and force modernisation.”Under the new structure, the Nigerian Army will operate twelve divisions, strategically positioned across the country as follows:1. 1 Division Headquarters – Kaduna (Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and Jigawa States)2. 2 Division Headquarters – Ibadan (Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo States)3. 3 Division Headquarters – Jos (Plateau, Bauchi and Gombe States)4. 5 Division Headquarters – Makurdi (Benue, Nasarawa and Kogi States)5. 6 Division Headquarters – Port Harcourt (Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River States)6. 7 Division Headquarters – Maiduguri (Borno and Yobe States)7. 8 Division Headquarters – Sokoto (Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara States)8. 9 Division Headquarters – Ilorin (Kwara and Niger States)9. 10 Division Headquarters – Jalingo (Taraba and Adamawa States)10. 81 Division Headquarters – Lagos (Lagos and Ogun States)11. 82 Division Headquarters – Enugu (Enugu, Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi and Imo States)12. 83 Division Headquarters – Benin City (Edo, Delta and Bayelsa States).The establishment of the new Divisions in Makurdi, Ilorin, Jalingo and Benin City will significantly improve command and control, decentralise operational decision-making, strengthen border security, enhance the protection of critical national infrastructure, improve counter-insurgency and internal security operations, and ensure faster military response to emerging threats nationwide.Implementation of the new force structure will be done in two phases.
The Ndigbo Unity Forum (NUF) worldwide, a pan-Igbo socioeconomic pressure group, has urged the Federal Government to direct the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) to supply Dangote Petroleum Refinery adequate crude.
The Chairman of NUF, Chief Augustine Chukwudum, made the call on Wednesday in Enugu while reacting to Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s move to start direct sales of refined Petroleum products in dollars.
It would be recalled that a top management official of the Dangote Group said that its refinery was receiving just four million barrels of crude oil monthly under the arrangement, instead of about 13 million barrels envisaged after President Bola Tinubu’s 2024 directive.
The refinery had attributed its decision to switch from naira-denominated fuel sales domestically to dollar transactions to the crude supply shortfall, saying it would also increase exports of refined petroleum products to earn foreign exchange.
Chukwudum called on the Federal Government to intervene urgently before things get out of hand and Nigerians suffer the more.
According to him, fuel price remains major determinant of prices of other commodities and services in the country as transport cost depends on.
“Things are bound to get worst if the Federal Government neglect to take immediate and decisive actions meant to better the life of the citizens.
“NUF is rasing this alarm because this administration is behaving as if they are not answerable to the people their are supposed to be serving.
“The Federal Government should direct NNPCL to supply all the crude oil needed by Dangote Refinery since the company has the capacity to meet local or domestic petroleum needs of the country.
“The government must stop all forms of fuel importation because that money been used for importation is a waste and put a pressure on our fragile foreign reserve as a nation,” he said.
The NUF boss noted that the refinery company must be allowed to pay in naira with this move, suffering of citizens would be curtailed.
Chukwudum also reiterated the call of the group for the Federal Government to set up judicial panel of inquiry to look into the account of NNPCL for some years now.
A commotion reportedly erupted at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Onitsha South Local Government Area of Anambra State after some officials were accused of demanding ₦2,000 from applicants before processing voter registration and Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
The allegation surfaced in a video circulating on social media, which showed what appeared to be a heated confrontation between applicants and officials at the electoral commission’s office.
According to a resident who narrated the incident in the video, some INEC officials allegedly insisted that applicants pay ₦2,000 before their voter registration or PVC processing could be completed.
The situation reportedly escalated when one of the applicants challenged the alleged demand, insisting that voter registration and PVC-related services are free and should not attract any payment.
The applicant was said to have confronted the officials and attempted to record the exchange with a mobile phone, triggering a heated argument that attracted other applicants and bystanders.
Although raised voices and a commotion could be heard in the footage, the circumstances surrounding the incident could not be independently verified.
The video has since sparked reactions on social media, with many Nigerians condemning the alleged extortion and calling on INEC to investigate the incident and sanction anyone found culpable.
INEC has consistently maintained that voter registration services are free of charge. These include fresh registration, collection of PVCs, transfer of voter information, correction of personal details, and replacement of lost or damaged PVCs.
The commission has also repeatedly urged members of the public to report any cases of extortion, bribery or illegal charges involving its permanent or ad hoc staff during voter registration and PVC distribution.
As of the time of filing this report, INEC had not issued an official statement specifically addressing the allegations involving its Onitsha South Local Government Area office.
The incident comes as the electoral commission continues its nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC has also introduced an online self-service platform to enable prospective voters and existing registrants to complete several registration-related processes conveniently, while reiterating that voter registration services remain free of charge.
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