South-East Pensioners Push for Uniform Benefits, N32,000 Minimum Pension

By Uzo Ugwunze

The Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP), South-East Zone, has intensified calls for the harmonisation of pensions across the region, urging governors to immediately implement the proposed new minimum pension of N32,000 once officially approved later this month.

The demand formed the highlight of the NUP South-East Zonal Meeting held Friday in Awka, Anambra State, where pension leaders argued that retirees on the same grade level should not earn widely different pension amounts simply because they retired at different times.

Speaking at the meeting, South-East Zonal Chairman of NUP and Anambra State Chairman, Comrade Anthony Ugozor, described the current pension structure as unfair and outdated.

According to him, pensioners who served on the same grade level under the same government should receive equal pension benefits irrespective of their retirement year.

“It is unjust that somebody who retired on Grade Level 12 in 2020 receives N15,000, while another person who retired on the same grade level in 2025 earns N25,000, yet both live in the same economy,” Ugozor said.

He stressed that pension harmonisation had become necessary in view of rising living costs and worsening economic conditions affecting retirees.

The union also appealed to South-East governors to quickly implement the proposed N32,000 minimum pension expected to be formally announced by the Federal Government before the end of May 2026.

Ugozor, however, commended Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, for what he described as significant improvements in pensioners’ welfare.

He said the Soludo administration had cleared four years of outstanding gratuities owed to state and local government pensioners between 2017 and 2020, amounting to about N22 billion inherited from the previous administration.

He added that retirees in Anambra now receive gratuities promptly after retirement, while pensions are paid alongside workers’ salaries before month-end.

The NUP chairman urged other South-East governors to emulate Soludo’s approach to pension administration and retirees’ welfare.

Despite the commendation, Ugozor reminded the Anambra State Government of unresolved arrears owed to some primary school pensioners dating back to 2002 and 2003 during the administration of former Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju.

According to him, the unpaid arrears, amounting to over N490 million, were remitted by the Federal Government and domiciled with the Local Government Pension Board, but many beneficiaries had died without receiving payment.

Declaring the meeting open, Anambra State Head of Service, Barrister Ngozi Iwuno, assured pensioners that the Soludo administration remained committed to protecting the welfare and dignity of retirees.

She described pensioners as critical contributors to national development whose experience and institutional memory remained valuable even after retirement.

Also speaking, Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Anambra State, Comrade Humphrey Emeka Nwafor, called for unity among pensioners and disclosed that labour leaders were already engaging government on the proposed N32,000 pension benchmark.

Nwafor noted that Governor Soludo had been paying pensioners a non-taxable monthly support allowance of N10,000 since October 2024, while discussions were ongoing on the implementation of the new minimum pension.