The Federal Government has released ₦5.12 billion in pension arrears to 90,689 retirees under the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS), the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) announced on Monday.
In a statement signed by its Head of Corporate Communications, Olugbenga Ajayi, PTAD said the disbursement aligns with the government’s commitment to clear outstanding pension liabilities. The payments were made across the four pension departments: 8,626 retirees in the Customs, Immigration, and Prisons Pension Department (₦276.03 million); 9,681 retirees in the Police Pension Department (₦619.58 million); 12,773 retirees in the Civil Service Pension Department (₦408.74 million); and 59,609 retirees in the Parastatals Pension Department (₦3.81 billion).
The agency reaffirmed that the payment was part of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, ensuring pensioners receive their due entitlements.
The announcement came as members of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners protested in Lagos over unpaid benefits, including up to 35 months of arrears and the non-payment of a ₦35,000 palliative. The protesters included retirees from defunct agencies such as Nigeria Telecommunications Limited (NITEL), the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), and the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).
On August 9, 2025, President Tinubu approved new measures to improve the welfare of DBS pensioners, including an extra budgetary allocation to enforce updated pension rates, the adoption of a pension harmonisation policy in the 2026 budget, and health insurance coverage for all DBS retirees.
The directive also provided for the settlement of outstanding liabilities owed to NITEL/MTEL pensioners and other retirees from defunct parastatals. The reforms, following a request from PTAD’s Executive Secretary, Chioma Ejikeme Odunaiya, include a new pension rate of ₦32,000 and incremental increases of 10.66% and 12.95% for pensioners from defunct and privatised agencies.
