The Lagos State Government has defended its record on pension payments, saying it has disbursed N168.2 billion to more than 48,000 retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) since 2007. The state government made this known in a statement shared on its Facebook page on Tuesday, following protests by some……
The Lagos State Government has defended its record on pension payments, saying it has disbursed N168.2 billion to more than 48,000 retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) since 2007.
The state government made this known in a statement shared on its Facebook page on Tuesday, following protests by some retirees over pension-related issues.
It said the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had prioritised the welfare and wellbeing of retired public servants who served the state during their active years.
According to the government, the Lagos State Pension Commission (LASPEC) has paid N92 billion in accrued rights to more than 25,000 retirees between May 2019 and 2026.
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It explained that accrued rights comprised both gratuity and pension components owed to retiring officers, adding that the administration had prioritised the settlement of the obligations.
“Contrary to what some protesting retirees said, the State has recorded what stands as the most outstanding performance on pension matters in the history of the State,” the statement said.
The government said it increased pension contribution rates in 2020 to 10 per cent for employers and eight per cent for employees as part of measures to strengthen the pension scheme and improve workers’ financial security after retirement.
It also cited a N5 billion single-batch payment made in July 2024 to 1,963 retirees, which it said cleared the outstanding backlog of pension obligations under the CPS at the time.
The government said it had also introduced expedited gratuity payments for sick pensioners, while the pension component continued to be paid into retirees’ Retirement Savings Accounts in line with established procedures.
It added that welfare programmes were conducted twice yearly to provide relief to retirees amid rising living costs.
For retirees under the Defined Benefits Scheme, the government said it extended a N25,000 wage award to more than 10,000 pensioners between December 2023 and February 2024.
According to the statement, the government subsequently approved increases of 20 per cent and 28 per cent for the category in March 2025.
It said it also matched the N32,000 wage increase granted by the Federal Government to its own Defined Benefits Scheme retirees in May 2026, resulting in an increase of more than 100 per cent in the pension wage bill.
The state government said LASPEC had so far paid more than N4 billion to 1,862 retirees in 2026 and was preparing to disburse another N1 billion to 700 retirees within a week.
It described the payments and other interventions as evidence of the administration’s commitment to settling pension obligations and improving the welfare of retired public servants.
“Taken together, these milestones, spanning both the Contributory Pension Scheme and the Defined Benefits Scheme, reflect a sustained and deliberate commitment by the Sanwo-Olu/Hamzat administration to the welfare and dignity of Lagos State’s retired public servants,” the government said.
