By Oluwakemi Kindness
Retired public servants have called for improved pension benefits and wider access to healthcare, saying rising living costs have made it difficult for many to meet their needs after leaving active service.
They made the call at a senior citizens’ forum organised by the National Pension Commission PenCom in Abuja on Wednesday, where they highlighted gaps in retirement benefits despite reported improvements in payment processing.
A retired public servant, Dr. Mej Bassey, said workers who had served for 30 to 35 years deserved adequate financial security after retirement.
He urged the government to review pension and gratuity policies and address differences in retirement benefits across public institutions.
Bassey also called for greater transparency from Pension Fund Administrators, urging them to provide retirees with clear information about the management of their pension funds.
Another retiree, Orisabiyi Samueala Oyèwale, a retired social worker, affirmed that pension administration had improved, with some retirees now receiving their benefits within one or two months, compared with waiting periods of up to two years in the past.
Oyèwale, who noted that retirement benefits has remained inadequate for many pensioners, cited cases of public servants with about 35 years of service receiving gratuities of between three million and four million naira and monthly pensions of about 100,000 to 120,000 naira.
He called for wider access to healthcare, saying existing initiatives did not cover all categories of pensioners.
Meanwhile, Rakiyà Idris, a retired official of the Federal Ministry of Health, said she waited almost a year for her pension payments to begin after retirement.
She said the delay was difficult because her salary had stopped while her financial obligations continued.
Idris welcomed efforts to reduce delays in processing retirement benefits but said retirees with additional family responsibilities continued to face financial pressure.
She explained that caring for her son, who has cerebral palsy, required her to prioritise his needs with her available resources, limiting her ability to travel and participate in other activities.
Edited by Julian Osamoto
