Pensioners across northern Nigeria are languishing in poverty as state governments continue to pay them some of the lowest retirement benefits in the country, despite soaring living costs.
In some of the worst cases found in Benue, Borno, Taraba, Plateau, Kwara, and other areas, retirees receive monthly stipends so meagre that they can hardly afford basic food and medication after decades of public service.
This is coming despite a federal government directive setting the minimum monthly pension for retirees at ₦32,000. Thousands of elderly citizens in some of these states still earn as little as ₦2,000.
A Daily Trust report shows that nearly a year after the new minimum pension policy took effect, only four of the 19 northern states have complied, leaving the majority of retirees trapped in extreme poverty.
Some states still pay less than 10 percent of the approved minimum, while inflation and delayed gratuities exacerbate pensioners’ financial hardship.
According to the Daily Trust report, in Benue, some pensioners still receive between ₦2,000 and ₦3,000 after decades of service. Borno also pays as low as ₦2,000 monthly despite completing a verification exercise for the increment. Taraba retirees get between ₦3,000 and ₦4,000. In Plateau and Kwara, the figure is ₦3,000 — and in Plateau, payments are often irregular. Niger has pensioners stuck on ₦4,000 for over 20 years, though some now receive up to ₦21,810.
According to the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP), Katsina and Zamfara pay as little as ₦5,000 monthly. In Kebbi, local government retirees earn between ₦10,000 and ₦12,000, while some higher-level state retirees earn up to ₦35,000. Jigawa’s lowest pension is ₦12,000; Bauchi’s is ₦12,500; and Kano pays a minimum of ₦20,000.
Kogi’s recent ₦10,000 across-the-board increment still leaves many retirees below the federal minimum, with most earning between ₦30,000 and ₦40,000. Kaduna pays ₦30,000 — the highest in the North West — while Yobe remains the only northern state to have fully implemented the ₦32,000 minimum pension, earning commendation from the NUP.
Many Pensioners Dying in Hardship
At pension offices visited in different states, elderly men and women — frail, distressed, and in some cases on crutches — queued for hours to process gratuities that had been delayed for years.
Some said they have staged multiple protests for the new rate, but their pleas remain ignored. Others spoke of colleagues who died waiting for payment.
“Many of us cannot afford two meals a day or basic family needs. Those alive can barely feed themselves, pay school fees, or afford clothes. It is pathetic,” said Comrade Gunshin Yarlings, a Plateau retiree.
Economists say neglecting pensioners is not just a moral failure but a governance risk.
“With inflation above 30 percent, ₦4,000 today is worth less than ₦1,000 a decade ago,” said economist Dr Sunusi Isah. “This pension is more symbolic than functional. It pushes people to skip medical care, eat poorly, or borrow just to survive.”
Dr Isa Abdullahi of the Federal University Kashere added: “When civil servants see this kind of neglect, they loot public funds to secure their future. States now have more revenue after subsidy removal — they have no excuse to abandon pensioners.”
