Retirees and Families in Lagos Struggle with Pension and Gratuity Delays
Retirees and families of deceased civil servants in Lagos State have expressed frustration over the prolonged delays in receiving their pensions and gratuities. Many individuals who retired or lost a breadwinner between 2021 and 2022 are still waiting for the financial benefits they are entitled to, according to reports.
The Lagos State Pension Commission (LASPEC) has been at the center of these concerns, with several affected individuals claiming that their requests for payment have not been addressed properly. Despite their efforts to submit all required documents and follow up, many continue to face unexplained delays.
Mrs. Kehinde Adeoye, a 70-year-old retiree who worked at the Surulere Local Government before retiring in 2022, shared her experience. She said she has repeatedly visited the pension office but has yet to receive any payment. “I left service in 2022 and have been coming here, but they keep telling me to be patient, that they will pay me, and that they will call me. I gave them my phone number and everything, yet they didn’t call me or do anything,” she explained. “They didn’t call me since then. I’m here again, they said I should be patient that our names are on the list. It’s just as if they are deceiving someone.”
Another family member, Funke Awotoye, spoke about the difficulties faced by her family after the death of her husband, Sikiru Awotoye, who worked at the Apapa Local Government. She has been trying to claim his gratuity since 2021. “It’s my late husband’s pension. Since February 2021, I’ve been to LASPEC. We submitted everything. They even asked us to do a Letter of Administration and everything is already done. I’m still here now and they are just telling me to wait. It’s been a long time I’ve been coming. Since 2023, I’ve been going to LASPEC.”
Adijatu Ismaheel, another widow, also highlighted the challenges of processing her late husband’s pension. Her husband died three years before he was due to retire. “The pension is for my late husband. He died in 2021. I have been processing it since then,” she said. “The challenge is that they are not answering me.”
A son of a retiree, identified as Shina, voiced his concerns about the impact of the delay on his aging mother. “They are delaying the processing of the fund. It is having a detrimental effect on me. It’s taking my time and money. My mom is 70, and moving her around for her pension doesn’t sit well with me. The fact remains that the processing should not be this slow if there’s no deficiency in the finances and accounting unit. I trust the Lagos State Government to have dropped the bonds of retirees of over three years.”
When contacted, the Director General of LASPEC, Babalola Obilana, denied the claims of neglect. “If I can get the specific names, I can tell. But that’s not true; that information is not correct. We still made some payments of about N1.5bn in April. And people who retired in December and some who retired in January of this year have been paid. So, that information is not true. So, if you come to my office with the names of those people, we will show you whether their files are here or not. Some will not tell you the truth. I’m in the office, I operate an open-door policy. If anybody has an issue, they can come to my office.”
Despite these assurances, many affected individuals remain skeptical. They believe that the delays are not only causing financial hardship but also eroding trust in the system. With ongoing issues and lack of clear communication, the situation continues to raise concerns among retirees and their families in Lagos.
