Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, has criticised President Bola Tinubu over the non-payment of pensions and gratuities despite government’s claims of meeting its revenue target.
In a post on his X handle on Wednesday, Obi said it was unjust for the government to celebrate revenue growth while pensioners who had served the country were left to contemplate a nationwide protest over unpaid arrears.
He said senior citizens who gave their most productive years in service to the nation deserved to be paid their entitlements promptly.
Obi added that any excess revenue realised by the government should be channelled to settle obligations to pensioners in order to restore their dignity and assure workers that their labour was valued.
He said: “I read with deep concern that our pensioners, men and women who gave the most productive years of their lives in service to our country, have been pushed to contemplate a nationwide protest over unpaid arrears.
“Just last month, Mr. President announced that Nigeria had reached its revenue target. If that is true, then the moral question is simple: why are our senior citizens, who worked, served, and sacrificed, still owed their rightful pensions and gratuities? Revenue growth should first reflect in the lives of the people, especially those in difficult times.
“The excess revenue we celebrate today must not remain on paper. It must be directed to settle our obligations to pensioners, to restore their dignity, and to assure the working population that Nigeria values their labour and service. Anything less is unjust and unacceptable. Good Leadership and compassion are inseparable.”
Unfair to celebrate revenue target without paying pensioners – Peter Obi knocks Tinubu
