Lagos Govt Defends Pension Record, Says Retirees’ Welfare Remains Priority
The Lagos State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to the welfare and wellbeing of retirees, saying it has recorded significant achievements in pension administration under the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat.
The government, in a statement, said contrary to claims by some protesting retirees, the state had recorded what it described as its most outstanding performance in pension matters, with sustained improvements in the welfare of retired public servants under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).
According to the Lagos State Pension Commission (LASPEC), a total of N168.2 billion has been paid to more than 48,000 retirees from 2007 to date.
The commission also disclosed that since May 2019, the state government had disbursed N92 billion in accrued rights to over 25,000 retirees.
Accrued rights comprise the gratuity and pension components owed to retiring public servants.
The government said the Sanwo-Olu administration had prioritised the prompt settlement of both components.
It added that in 2020, the administration increased pension contribution rates to 10 per cent for employers and eight per cent for employees to strengthen workers’ retirement savings and improve the sustainability of the pension scheme.
The government further said it had released additional funds to clear outstanding pension backlogs, culminating in a N5 billion payment to 1,963 retirees in July 2024.
According to the statement, the payment cleared all outstanding accrued-rights backlogs under the CPS at the time.
The government also said it introduced expedited gratuity payments for sick pensioners to provide immediate financial relief, while the pension component continues to be paid into retirees’ Retirement Savings Accounts in line with established procedures.
It noted that welfare programmes are conducted twice a year to provide direct support to thousands of retirees amid rising living costs.
For retirees under the Defined Benefits Scheme (DBS), the government said it extended the N25,000 wage award granted to state workers to more than 10,000 pensioners between December 2023 and February 2024.
This was followed by further increases of 20 per cent and 28 per cent in March 2025.
The government added that in May 2026, it matched the Federal Government’s N32,000 wage increase for pensioners by extending the same benefit to its DBS retirees.
It said the intervention had increased the state’s pension wage bill by more than 100 per cent.
LASPEC also disclosed that it had so far paid N4 billion to 1,862 retirees in 2026 and would disburse another N1 billion to about 700 retirees within the following week.
The government said the various interventions demonstrated the Sanwo-Olu/Hamzat administration’s commitment to the dignity and welfare of retired public servants, adding that Lagos remained a model for pension administration in Nigeria.
