Pensioners in Lagos State have threatened to stage a major protest at Alausa if the state government fails to implement the proposed pension increase by August 31, 2026.
The pensioners issued the ultimatum during a warning protest in Lagos on Monday, accusing the Babajide Sanwo-Olu-led administration and the Lagos State Pension Commission (LASPEC) of delaying the implementation of the adjustment despite previous assurances.
The pensioners, under the leadership of their union, said they had given the government what they described as a final opportunity to resolve the matter before mobilising members across the state for a larger demonstration.
The unionâs secretary, Olagbaye Johnson, said the warning protest was specifically organised to put the government on notice that pensioners would escalate their action if no favourable response was received before the August 31 deadline.
âWhat brought about todayâs warning protest is to give the government an ultimatum: if we do not get a response by August 31, there will be a mega protest,â Johnson said.
According to him, the pensioners are demanding that Lagos State implement the pension adjustment following the Federal Governmentâs review of benefits for contributory pensioners.
Johnson explained that the pensioners had previously engaged the state government on the matter and were allegedly informed that Lagos would implement the adjustment once the Federal Government had done so.
He said the union subsequently obtained the template used by the Federal Government and submitted it to the state Head of Service as well as the leadership of LASPEC after further engagements with relevant government officials.
The union secretary also claimed that an actuarial valuation required for the proposed adjustment had been completed in May, but alleged that the implementation had since stalled.
He expressed concern that continued delays could push the matter beyond the tenure of the present administration, particularly with the 2027 general election approaching.
Johnson said the pensioners would not abandon the demand, insisting that members had already been mobilised across Lagos State and were prepared to converge on Alausa for a much larger protest if the government failed to act by August 31.
The pensionersâ position, however, comes amid LASPECâs defence of the Lagos State Governmentâs record in the payment of pensions and reforms introduced under the stateâs Contributory Pension Scheme.
In a statement made public during the protest, LASPEC said the Lagos State Government had paid N168.2 billion to more than 48,000 retirees from 2007 to date.
The commission said N92 billion out of the amount was paid as accrued rights to more than 25,000 retirees since May 2019.
LASPEC also highlighted the state governmentâs decision in 2020 to increase pension contributions to 10 per cent for employers and eight per cent for employees, describing the measure as an effort to strengthen the pension scheme and improve retirement benefits.
The commission further disclosed that N5 billion was paid to 1,963 retirees in July 2024 to clear outstanding pension obligations under the Contributory Pension Scheme.
According to LASPEC, another 1,862 retirees had received more than N4 billion in 2026, while an additional N1 billion was expected to be paid to about 700 retirees within one week.
Despite listing the payments and reforms, LASPEC did not provide a specific timeline for implementing the pension increase being demanded by the protesters.
The development has therefore left the pensioners maintaining their August 31 deadline, with the union warning that failure by the Lagos State Government to provide a favourable response would trigger a larger mobilisation at Alausa.
The planned protest could place further pressure on the state government to clarify its position on the proposed adjustment and explain why the pension increase has yet to be implemented despite the pensionersâ claims that the necessary actuarial assessment and other processes have already been completed.