Retired civil servants in Niger State have issued a heartfelt and urgent appeal to Governor Mohammed Umar Bago, begging him to restart the payment of their long-overdue retirement entitlements. The pensioners, representing both state and local government levels, described the situation as a matter of utmost importance.
Pensioners' Coalition Details Broken Promise
The appeal was voiced by Mr. Steven Daniel Zita, Chairman of the Joint Action Committee (JAC), a coalition of five pensioner forums in the state. Zita spoke to journalists in Minna on Tuesday, 13th January, 2026, following a meeting at the U.K. Bello Art Theatre. The JAC includes the Association of Head of Service & Permanent Secretaries Forum, the Directors Forum, the Concern Citizens Forum, the Association of Local Government Retirees, and a Pressure Group.
Zita revealed that the meeting aimed to update members on the circumstances leading to the halt in payments. He recalled Governor Bago's promise that N25 billion had been earmarked to clear the backlog of gratuity. The government initially released a first tranche of N10 billion, from which N6.5 billion was disbursed to pensioners. However, Zita lamented that since March 2024, all payments have ceased without any official explanation.
Desperate Measures and Daily Deaths
Frustrated by the silence, the pensioners have embarked on a series of actions to seek redress. "We have decided to engage the traditional rulers in the state, zone by zone. We presented our demands to them to assist us in intervening and talking to the governor," Zita explained. "We embarked on prayers. We met the governor personally, but the governor has not responded."
The JAC Chair expressed profound confusion and pain, stating, "We don’t know what we have done to the governor, because shortly after the payment started, it stopped without explanation." He painted a grim picture of the consequences, noting that many pensioners have died while awaiting their entitlements. "Pensioners are dying on a daily basis. You know, old age has its own problems. You have money somewhere, and you don’t have access to it. It is more painful," Zita said, pleading for forgiveness if the pensioners had wronged the governor.
Voices from the Retirees
Other pensioners shared their harrowing experiences. Mrs. Mary Damisa lamented that her monthly pension could not sustain her family of eight children and urged for the immediate resumption of gratuity payments.
Elder Bayo, a retired director with seven children, expressed deep disillusionment. He stated that he initially believed in the governor's pronouncement but lost faith when payments stopped. "I have lost confidence in the politicians, because when you need them, they look for you, but once they have done with you, they forget you," Bayo declared.
Despite the grievances, Zita acknowledged one positive step: the governor's timely enrollment of pensioners into the Niger State Contributory Health Care Agency (NICARE) free of charge. This gesture, however, stands in stark contrast to the halted financial benefits, leaving hundreds of retirees in a state of financial distress and uncertainty.
