Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Enugu State Council, has made an impassioned appeal to Governor Peter Mbah to urgently implement the pension review tied to the new National Minimum Wage, lamenting that some retirees in the state still receive as little as ₦447 per month despite the state's record-breaking internally generated revenue of ₦406.77 billion. The union made the appeal on Monday, August 3, 2026, after concluding its Local Government branch elections in Enugu South Local Government Area, according to a report published by SaharaReporters on Tuesday, August 4, 2026.
The pensioners' plea comes against the backdrop of Enugu State's strongest revenue performance in recent years, with the state generating ₦406.77 billion in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in 2025, representing 80 per cent of its ₦509.9 billion target and a 125 per cent increase over the ₦180.50 billion generated in 2024. The state has also projected an ambitious ₦870 billion IGR target for 2026, after generating ₦43.96 billion in the first quarter of the year, with Enugu Air emerging as the single highest revenue contributor with ₦11.59 billion. Despite this improved revenue profile, the pensioners said implementing the proposed ₦32,000 minimum pension would ensure that no retiree earns below that amount and would provide much-needed relief to thousands of elderly citizens battling soaring inflation and the rising cost of living.
"We are pleading with the State Government to implement the Minimum Pension review as the Federal Government has done, so that every pensioner will receive additional ₦32,000," the union said. The pensioners, however, commended Governor Mbah for restoring regular pension payments and clearing long-standing arrears of monthly pensions owed to retirees. Speaking during the event, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners in Enugu State, Comrade Ikechukwu Ekere, said pension administration had improved significantly under the current administration, particularly for retired primary school teachers and local government workers. According to him, before Governor Mbah assumed office, many local government and primary school pensioners were owed as much as 27 months of pension arrears, while gratuities had remained unpaid for years.
"When we cried to the Governor about our pathetic situation, he listened to us. From July 2024 till date, Primary School and Local Government Pensioners have been receiving their pensions as and when due," Ekere said. He added that pensioners in state-owned parastatals had also enjoyed regular monthly pension payments since January 2025, while arrears owed to retired state civil servants before the current administration had been cleared. Despite the improvements, Ekere described the non-payment of gratuities as the greatest challenge confronting retirees in the state. According to him, state pensioners have not received gratuities since 2010, while retired local government workers and primary school teachers have remained unpaid since 2006. He urged the government to address the backlog, warning that many retirees had died without receiving their terminal benefits.
Also speaking, Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Local Government Staff Pensions Board Branch, Comrade Kenneth Emeka Ugwueze, said the union had successfully concluded branch elections across the state's 17 local government areas. He noted that reforms introduced by the Mbah administration had ended years of delays in pension payments and improved access to retirement benefits. "Since the verification exercise carried out under Governor Peter Mbah, no eligible Local Government Pensioner has been denied pension. We have been receiving our pensions as and when due since July 2024," Ugwueze said. He disclosed that during a meeting with Organised Labour, the Governor approved and promised to implement the payment of an additional N32,000 pension for retirees across the state, expressing optimism that the promise, alongside payment of outstanding gratuities and monthly pensions, would soon be fulfilled to ameliorate the sufferings of their members.
The Enugu State Government had earlier set aside ₦32 billion for pensions and gratuities in the 2026 budget, with labour leaders hailing the approval of a N32,000 minimum pension as a landmark decision that would immediately improve the lives of retirees. In February 2026, labour leaders in the state had applauded Governor Mbah following what they described as a productive and solution-driven consultative meeting, expressing excitement over new welfare interventions for workers and retirees. The governor had directed that internal revenue should be sufficient to cover salaries, pensions, and overhead costs, with priority given to these recurrent expenditures.
However, the continued payment of as little as N447 per month to some retirees has cast a shadow over the state's revenue achievements and raised questions about the pace of implementation of the promised pension review. For the thousands of elderly citizens who spent their productive years serving the state, the gap between Enugu's fiscal prosperity and their daily struggle for survival has become a painful paradox. As the union leaders noted, many retirees have died without receiving their gratuities, and those still alive are battling soaring inflation and the rising cost of living on incomes that are barely enough to survive. The pensioners have made their position clear: they are not asking for charity, but for the implementation of a promise that would restore their dignity and provide them with the means to live out their remaining years in peace.
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