Kaduna Pension Union Says 20 Retired Top Officials Died Awaiting Benefits

The Nigeria Union of Pensioners in Kaduna State has revealed that no fewer than 20 retired senior public officers, including former permanent secretaries and heads of service, have died without receiving their retirement entitlements.

The State Secretary of the NUP, Alhassan Musa, disclosed this in an interview on Tuesday, attributing the deaths to prolonged delays in the payment of pensions and gratuities by the state government.

According to Musa, the deceased were among pensioners and disengaged workers who began 2025 hopeful that the government would clear the backlog of unpaid benefits. “We thought 2025 would be a year of hope and celebration… but as the year progresses, that hope is gradually fading,” he stated.

He explained that several of the retirees died despite having court judgments ordering the payment of their outstanding entitlements.

The NUP scribe also lamented the state’s failure to implement the approved N32,000 pension increase for retirees under the Defined Benefits Scheme, calling the delay a major cause of hardship.

Musa made an emotional appeal to Governor Uba Sani for urgent intervention. “Our people are dying in silence. They are voiceless, helpless and hopeless. We are appealing to the governor to have mercy on them and act swiftly,” he said.

He further highlighted the difficulties faced by retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme, many of whom he said cannot access their benefits, leaving them without means for basic needs like food and healthcare.

Kaduna State has faced ongoing complaints from labour and pensioners over delayed payments, despite government announcements of reforms aimed at sanitizing the pension system. Musa urged the state to treat pension payments as a legal and moral obligation, warning that continued delays deepen the suffering of elderly citizens.