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The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) retirees have threatened to commence a nationwide protest over unpaid pension benefits that have accumulated for more than 16 years.
The pensioners, under the aegis of the Nigerian Ports Authority Pensioners Welfare Association, issued a statement on Sunday, April 19, saying the protest would begin seven days after the publication if their demands are not met.
The president of the association, Charles Ayo Binitie, said the protest could include shutting down seaports nationwide. Binitie added that the protest was motivated by the failure of NPA management to implement the constitutionally approved five-year pension increment, which he said had not been applied since 2008. He also lamented that many retirees are living in poverty and striving to afford healthcare.
“It is sad and regrettable to say the least, that amid the present high inflation rate and economic downturn in Nigeria, only a few NPA retirees receive up to N100,000, while more than 50% of them earn between N50,000, to as low as N30,000 monthly,”
“Notwithstanding the fact that the NPA remains a first-grade parastatal like the NNPC, its retirees were paid peanuts, and their so-called pay rise falls short of the constitutional provision in Section 173, Sub Sect.3.
“The above law states that all pensioners are entitled to pay rise every five years and whenever there is an increase for the in service, however the management just adds whatever amount it likes, which mostly hovers between 3 – 11.5 percent,” he said.
According to the Association’s President, NPA management has failed to implement the pay rise policy despite the pensioners’ union’s efforts. He added that the association had written to the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) and the presidency through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), but no action has been taken.
Furthermore, Binitie dismissed claims that the association is factionalised, noting that previous disputes had been settled through court rulings.
“The NPA is yet to furnish the Wages Commission with its documents for over 15 years now, so that the necessary upward review can be made,”
“In one of the judgements of the Lagos High Court Ikeja, the judge instructed the Board of Trustees to hold an AGM of all the pensioners and thereafter, conduct an election; an action which consequently led to my emergence as the body’s incumbent President,” he added.
He said a five-year legal battle over who was the real president ended in his favour. In September 2025, an Apapa magistrate court confirmed him as the association’s authentic leader. He noted that the association now speaks with one voice, and the plight of pensioners has become unbearable.
Binitie appealed to the presidency and relevant authorities to compel the NPA to release outstanding benefits, including increments linked to the 2024 minimum wage.
