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Several retired Nigerian public officials have died while waiting to receive their retirement benefits, according to the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP).
At least 20 retired senior officers, including former permanent secretaries, secretaries to the state government, and heads of service, passed away without receiving their pensions and gratuities, according to the NUP union in Kaduna on Tuesday.
The Kaduna State secretary of the union, Alhassan Balarabe Musa, said the deaths occurred due to long delays in the state government’s payment of retirement benefits.
He said many retirees began 2025 expecting that outstanding pensions and gratuities would be paid, but this has not happened.
“We thought 2025 would be a year of hope and celebration for pensioners and those who lost their jobs in Kaduna State. But as the year progresses, that hope is gradually fading,” Musa told Punch.
According to Musa, some of the deceased officials had court judgements in their favour ordering the payment of their entitlements, but the payments were not made before their deaths.
He also said Kaduna State has not yet implemented the ₦32,000 pension increase for retirees under the Defined Benefits Scheme.
Musa hinted that many retirees depend entirely on their pensions for basic needs such as food, healthcare and housing, and that payment delays have caused serious hardship.
The union warned that more delays would exacerbate the suffering of senior citizens and urged Governor Uba Sani to treat pension payments as a moral and legal duty.
“We thought the governor would be among the first three to implement the N32,000 pension increase for those under the Defined Benefits Scheme, but our dream is dying slowly,” he said.
“Our people are dying in silence. They are voiceless, helpless and hopeless. We are appealing to the governor to have mercy on them and act swiftly.
“Most of our contributory pensioners are also suffering in silence. Their tears are drying up, and the pain is now being borne by the heart because the body can no longer absorb the shock.”
A new N32,000 minimum pension and increases of 10.66% and 12.95% for qualified Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS) pensioners were announced by the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate in July 2025. After years of pensioners’ demands for better welfare, the changes went into effect with the September 2025 payroll cycle.
