Members of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Pensioners and Welfare Association on Monday staged a protest at the headquarters of the Nigerian Ports Authority in Lagos, demanding the implementation of revised pension benefits under the new pension scheme.
According to The Nation, the retirees gathered at the Marina headquarters carrying placards accusing the authority of withholding what they described as 16 years of constitutional pension entitlements. Some banners appealed directly to Bola Tinubu to intervene, while others highlighted the hardship faced by pensioners surviving on as little as ₦30,000 monthly.
The demonstrators said pension adjustments were not implemented when the contributory pension scheme was introduced, even as serving employees benefited from salary reviews over the years.
President of the association, Charles Binitie, said the group had initially suspended an earlier planned protest after being assured the matter was being addressed. He said the silence from management forced them back to the streets.
Binitie accused the agency of neglecting pensioners while revising salaries for active workers over the past 16 years, widening the financial gap between retirees and serving staff. He said many pensioners now struggle to survive amid inflation and rising living costs.
Some retirees shared emotional accounts during the protest. A former worker, James Igwe, said he joined the authority in 1977 and still receives ₦30,000 monthly. He claimed many pensioners were now ill, homeless or unable to support their families.
Another pensioner, identified as Otaro, said he retired in 2006 during the administration of Olusegun Obasanjo and has struggled financially ever since, sometimes going days without food.
The association warned that if their demands are not met by mid-June, protests will expand to other port cities including Warri, Calabar and Port Harcourt.
