For pensioners already struggling with the rising cost of food, medication, transportation and electricity, a relief package approved nearly three years ago is still outstanding. The Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP, says its members are yet to receive the ₦75,000 palliative approved after the removal of fuel subsidy.

The union made the appeal in a letter to President Bola Tinubu, asking the Federal Government to release the payment to pensioners across the country. According to the NUP, the support was designed in October 2023 to provide temporary assistance to vulnerable Nigerians following the removal of the petrol subsidy.

The union’s General Secretary, Godwin Amadin, says the announcement initially brought relief and renewed hope among senior citizens. But he says that hope has since been replaced by frustration, particularly among pensioners facing increasing expenses on basic necessities.

The NUP argues that the delay has had a direct impact on retirees, many of whom spent decades in public service. It says the ₦75,000 package, if released, could still help beneficiaries meet immediate needs such as food and medical expenses, despite the passage of time.

The pensioners are now asking the President to direct the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office, NASSCO, to begin payment. The union says verified pensioner data has already been supplied to NASSCO to support direct and transparent disbursement.

The demand has also been strengthened by the union’s claim that civil servants received the palliative nearly three years ago, while pensioners remained excluded. At the same time, the NUP acknowledged what it described as the administration’s regular payment of monthly pensions and the recent approval of ₦25 billion for pension harmonisation and outstanding pension arrears.

For the pensioners, the outstanding payment is therefore not simply another government intervention but money they say could ease the pressure of daily living. The union is appealing for President Tinubu’s intervention, insisting that releasing the approved relief would demonstrate that vulnerable senior citizens have not been left behind.