Pensioners of the defunct NITEL-MTEL staged a protest on Tuesday outside the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja, demanding the payment of long-overdue entitlements.
The largely elderly retirees sat on the floor outside the ministry, expressing frustration over what they described as government inaction on their grievances.
Addressing journalists, Okey Ifepe, a coordinator of the group, said the demonstration became necessary after repeated appeals to authorities failed to yield results.
The pensioners’ demands include 35 months of unpaid pension arrears, exclusion from the recently approved ₦32,000 pension increase, and outstanding adjustments from previous years. Specifically, they are owed:
The balance of the 12.95% pension increase (2020)
The 10.66% pension adjustment (2015)
A ₦25,000 palliative promised to all DBS pensioners
Verified death benefits for next-of-kin
Payroll for verified pensioners unpaid since 2018
“We respectfully but firmly demand: payment of the 35 months of arrears owed to NITEL-MTEL pensioners; inclusion in the ₦32,000 pension increase with arrears and retrospective effect; settlement of the outstanding balance of the 12.95% increase; payment of the 10.66% adjustment; release of the ₦25,000 palliative; immediate payment of verified death benefits to next-of-kin; and payroll for verified pensioners not paid since 2018,” Ifepe said.
He further called for synergy among PTAD, NSIWC, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and the Ministry of Finance, warning against conflicting explanations that have delayed the payment of benefits.
The protest by NITEL-MTEL pensioners came just a day after parents of government-sponsored students abroad blocked the Ministry of Finance, demanding owed benefits for their children, highlighting a growing wave of discontent over unpaid government obligations.
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