The Concerned NEPA/PHCN Pensioners Pressure Group has called on the Federal Government to immediately settle retirement benefits that have remained unpaid for over two decades.
At a press briefing in Lagos on Thursday, the group’s chairman, Mr. Oladimeji Dunmoye, lamented that former employees of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) have continued to live in hardship since the company’s unbundling.
According to him, pensioners have been subjected to prolonged suffering despite repeated assurances from government agencies about resolving the backlog of entitlements.
He accused the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) of obstructing the process and withholding funds meant for retirees between 2000 and 2025, even though the government had provided adequate funding.
“Some of our members have passed away while waiting. Many others cannot afford basic healthcare. This is an injustice that can no longer be ignored,” Dunmoye said.
He explained that the group had sent at least seven letters to PTAD headquarters in Abuja without receiving any response, despite clear records of government releases since 2017.
Dunmoye further revealed that the Presidency had been notified on three separate occasions between 2021 and 2025, through both legal channels and direct correspondence, but no action was taken.
Instead of addressing the issue, he alleged, officials had engaged in “media propaganda” and collaborated with certain individuals posing as union representatives to delay payments.
The group is demanding full settlement of arrears, prompt remittance of monthly pensions, and due recognition of the contributions of electricity workers to national development. Dunmoye warned that retirees would intensify their advocacy until justice was done.
Also speaking, Mr. Julius Ayodeji, Coordinator II of the group, said the failure to release entitlements had inflicted severe financial strain on families of retirees, describing it as a cruel abandonment after decades of service.
“We want government to understand that pensioners matter too,” he said, while appealing to the National Assembly, labour unions, and civil society organisations to intervene.
During the press conference, the pensioners carried placards with inscriptions such as “Pay Our Arrears Now” and “Justice for Pensioners.”
The meeting concluded with a resolution to submit petitions to the Ministry of Finance and the National Pension Commission (PenCom), urging them to take urgent action on the matter.