By Dada Ahmed, Lokoja.
After nearly two decades of waiting, frustration and hope now hang in the balance as Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) retirees in passionately appeal for the payment of their long-awaited arrears before the end of 2025.
Speaking with with the Correspondent of The Reporters in Lokoja, Kogi State on Saturday, some of the pensioners expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for approving a ₦758 billion bond for the settlement of the 18-year pension backlog.
The pensioners also commended the leadership of the Nigeria Union Pension Contributory Pension Scheme NUPCPS,for being in the vanguard of the struggle for the reality of the bond but pleaded with Pencom and other relevant agencies to hasten the process of disbursement.
Some pensioners have expressed concern that delaying the payment to 2026 could adversely affect their welfare and that of their dependants.
Messrs Timothy Olakunle, Adeiza Salihu, Mohammed Tijani, and Christopher Nwachukwu, among others, commended the National Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners Contributory Pension Scheme (NUPCPS) and his team for their tireless efforts in ensuring that the Federal Government recognised their plight.
According to Mr. Nwachukwu, CPS pensioners have endured “untold hardship and endless waiting” since 2007, clinging to hope that one day, their long-awaited arrears would be paid and relief would finally reflect in their bank accounts.
“Now that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in recognition of our years of suffering, has approved the issuance of the bond,which our union has confirmed is ready for disbursement, we are filled with renewed hope.
“I therefore appeal to PENCOM and the Debt Management Office to act fast and commence payment without further delay,” he said.
Investigations by The Reporters revealed that the latest appeal reflects growing anxiety among CPS retirees across the country after many rumored payment dates,circulating since September,failed to materialize.
On the union’s social media platform, emotions ran high as members voiced their distress over the prolonged wait.
Rev. Mrs. Oluwafunmilayo Jaja, one of the affected pensioners, made a touching appeal:
“As a neighbour, please let me know when the alert comes. I have children at home sent back from school because I couldn’t complete their fees.
She expressed concern that some extended family members are starving, regretting that she can only watch helplessly.
” Do you expect me to keep watching without doing anything? she asked.
Another pensioner, Iyaluegbe Celestine E., questioned the delay despite assurances from officials.
“We’ve heard so much about pension reforms. What we want to know is when the payments will start. What do they mean by ‘sooner than soon’? Are we children they can keep pacifying with promises?”
Our correspondent reports that as the year draws to a close, the voices of these senior citizens echo across the nation,pleading not for sympathy, but for action. Their message is clear: let 2025 not pass with their hopes still hanging.
However,the Reporters gathered that the one-day sensitization meeting held on November 6, 2025, at Rockview Royale Hotel, Abuja, led by the National Chairman of NUPCPS, was very successful.
At the meeting, PENCOM management allayed the fears of CPS pensioners by assuring them that, they would receive their entitlements before the end of November 2025.
