Pensioners of the defunct NITEL–MTEL staged a protest on Tuesday at the Federal Ministry of Finance, demanding payment of 35 months of unpaid pensions and other owed benefits.
The retirees, mostly elderly, sat on the floor outside the ministry, expressing frustration over what they described as government inaction on their grievances.
Okey Ifepe, a coordinator of the group, told journalists that repeated appeals to authorities had yielded no results.
He said the retirees are excluded from the recent ₦32,000 pension increase, while other defunct agencies under the Defined Benefits Scheme have received full payments.
“We are owed 35 months of pension arrears and have been excluded from the recent increase. Other benefits, including the 12.95% pension adjustment (2020), 10.66% adjustment (2015), ₦25,000 palliative, verified death benefits, and unpaid payroll since 2018, remain unsettled,” Ifepe said.
The protest follows a similar demonstration by parents demanding scholarship payments for their children, highlighting ongoing frustrations with delayed government disbursements.
The retirees urged the government to ensure immediate payment of arrears, inclusion in the pension increase, and settlement of all pending benefits without further delay.
