A group of federal pensioners on Monday protested at the Lagos office of the Pension Transitional Arrangements Directorate, demanding the immediate implementation of a ₦32,000 pension increase approved by President Bola Tinubu.

The protesters, led by the chairman of the Coalition of Federal Pensioners, Lagos Chapter, Mukaila Ogunbote, carried placards with inscriptions such as “PTAD is all about you, stop selection” and “No ₦32,000 increment.”

Ogunbote said the delay had pushed many retirees “to the brink of survival,” accusing the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, of obstructing payments. “He should give us our money,” he said.

President Tinubu approved the increment last year and, last Wednesday, ordered the implementation of the “long-overdue pension increases and a minimum pension guarantee” to protect the most vulnerable pensioners under the Contributory Pension Scheme. The directive followed a briefing from the Director General of the National Pension Commission, Omolola Oloworaran.

PTAD Liaison Officer Cashmir Audu told protesters the ₦32,000 increase had been approved but lacked funding. “It is the civil right of pensioners to protest anytime. We have repeatedly said that the N32,000 was approved last year, but unfortunately, we don’t have funds,” he said.