Lagos retirees say they will stage a major protest unless the state credits outstanding pension enhancements and a wage award by August 31, 2026. The Nigeria Union of Pensioners Contributory Pension Scheme, NUPCPS, Lagos council set the deadline after a meeting with the Permanent Secretary in the Public Service Office, Sunkanmi Oyegbola, and officials from the Lagos State Pension Commission, LASPEC.
Michael Omisande, chairman of NUPCPS Lagos State Council, said the union delivered a template to the state government in January 2026 proposing how to implement the enhancement. He told officials LASPEC had later said approval was granted to engage an actuary to facilitate the process, but the union has seen no payments yet. “We have communicated a 19-day ultimatum to Mr Governor to credit the accounts of pensioners on the pension increases/wage award, or face protest action tentatively fixed for August 31, 2026,” Omisande said.
LASPEC’s Director-General, Babalola Obilana, and the commission’s Executive Director of Finance, Muyiwa Oshin, attended the meeting. Omisande said Obilana informed pensioners that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had summoned him and issued a directive on the matter, but the commission did not give a specific start date for payments.
Leaders from the Nigeria Union of Pensioners Defined Benefit Scheme, NUPDBS, Olufemi Olarewaju and Olukayode Bada, were present as the unions coordinated their position. Omisande said the NUPCPS national leadership has endorsed the Lagos council’s stance, and the union plans to mobilise retirees using traditional and social media ahead of the proposed demonstration. “It is a sacrifice we must render for our financial emancipation. I strongly believe that the money can be paid if the government really wants to pay within the time frame,” he added.
The Lagos State chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Funmi Sessi, urged LASPEC to speed up implementation to prevent escalation. The unions have also informed Speaker Mudashiru Obasa and the state Commissioner of Police about the planned action, a move that signals both a desire for orderly protest and an expectation that authorities will prepare security measures.
The immediate boundary for the dispute is procedural: an actuary has been approved but payments remain undated. If the state does not move to credit pensioners’ accounts by the end of August, organisers say a coordinated demonstration will test the government’s ability to close the gap between technical approvals and timely disbursement.
