•Thousands of retirees, next-of-kins share N55.9bn

By Victor Ahiuma-Young

Thousands of pensioners and next-of-kins of deceased retirees across the country have received a major financial boost as the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate, PTAD, disbursed a total of N55.9 billion in pensions and outstanding arrears in December 2025.

The payment, which cut across all pension departments under the Defined Benefits Scheme, DBS, covered both monthly pensions and long-awaited arrears, bringing significant relief to beneficiaries who had endured delays linked to pension increments and other obligations.

A statement by PTAD’s Head, Corporate Communications Unit, 

Olugbenga Ajayi, explained that a breakdown of the disbursement showed that N13.41 billion was paid as monthly pensions to eligible pensioners, including those in the diaspora, while a substantial N42.5 billion went into settling accumulated pension arrears, gratuities and death benefits. According to PTAD, the arrears payment addressed outstanding liabilities arising from the N32,000 pension increment, as well as the 10.66 per cent and 12.95 per cent pension increases, alongside other accrued pension entitlements owed to beneficiaries.

Further details revealed that the Civil Service Pension Department received the highest share, with over N16.36 billion paid to 71,643 pensioners. This was followed by the Defunct and Transferred Agencies Department, which disbursed more than N15.06 billion to 24,995 pensioners. Other payments included N7.8 billion to pensioners under the Parastatals Pension Department, N2.37 billion to those in the Tertiary Education and Health Department, and N604 million to beneficiaries under the Customs, Immigration and Prisons Pension Department. In addition, N289 million was paid as gratuity and death benefits to next-of-kin of deceased pensioners.

PTAD confirmed that with this exercise, arrears resulting from the N32,000 pension increment have been fully cleared across all pension departments, except for one month outstanding for pensioners under the Parastatals Pension Department and the Tertiary Education and Health Department.

Speaking on the development, the Executive Secretary of PTAD, Mrs. Tolulope Odunaiya, described the payments as a major milestone that reflects President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to the welfare of senior citizens, in line with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

She assured pensioners that efforts are ongoing to clear the remaining one-month arrears owed to affected departments, while reiterating PTAD’s resolve to continue implementing reforms and initiatives aimed at improving the welfare and overall well-being of DBS pensioners.

The development has been widely welcomed by pensioners’ groups, who see the massive disbursement as a significant step toward restoring confidence in the pension administration system and easing the financial burdens faced by retirees and their families