Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has expressed concern over reports that pensioners across Nigeria are considering a nationwide protest over unpaid arrears.
In a statement on Wednesday, Obi said it was “unjust and unacceptable” that men and women who dedicated their most productive years to serving the country were being neglected at a time the federal government claimed to have exceeded its revenue targets.
“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?” Obi queried.
He stressed that revenue growth should first reflect in the lives of citizens, particularly those struggling to survive, adding that the excess revenue being celebrated “must not remain on paper.”
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“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,” he said.
Obi further noted that “good leadership and compassion are inseparable,” reiterating his call for a new Nigeria where justice and fairness guide governance.
He ended with his familiar sign-off: “A New Nigeria is POssible.”