Legal practitioner and public affairs analyst Maxwell Okpara has called for tougher legal consequences for authorities that fail to pay retirees their pensions, arguing that persistent delays in pension payments should be treated as a serious violation of citizens’ rights.
Okpara made the call on Thursday while speaking during an interview on Arise Television, where he reacted to reports of a confrontation between police operatives and pensioners who had gathered in Lagos to demand payment of their outstanding entitlements.
The lawyer condemned the reported use of tear gas against the retirees during what he described as a peaceful protest. He argued that senior citizens who spent decades working for the country should not be forced to take to the streets to demand money they are entitled to receive.
According to Okpara, the circumstances surrounding pension delays require a stronger response from government and law enforcement authorities. He maintained that the failure to pay pensions should no longer be treated simply as an administrative matter.
“It is high time we criminalise non-payment of pensions. The Commissioner of Police should tender an apology to Nigerians and senior citizens,” Okpara said.
His comments followed reports that police personnel in Lagos used tear gas against pensioners participating in a demonstration over unpaid pension-related entitlements.
The incident, as presented during the interview, raised questions for Okpara about how retirees who have completed their years of public service could still face difficulties obtaining the financial benefits attached to that service.
He questioned why a person who had spent decades serving the country would have to protest before receiving pension payments.
“Why should they deny something everyone saw? The question is how it got to this, for someone to serve this country for 35 years and still have to ask for their own money,” he said.
Okpara argued that the responsibility should rest with the authorities to ensure retirees receive their entitlements rather than forcing them into repeated protests.
“Pay me my pension, and instead you allow this person to protest,” he said.
The lawyer further described non-payment of pensions as a “gross violation of human rights”, linking the issue to the broader question of how the Nigerian state treats citizens after they have completed their working years.
His demand for criminalisation represents a call for a change in how pension payment failures are addressed. Rather than relying solely on administrative procedures or negotiations between retirees and government institutions, Okpara believes stronger sanctions should apply when pensions are not paid.
The comments also brought attention to the vulnerability of pensioners who depend on their retirement benefits for their livelihood. For retirees who have left active employment, delayed payments can create difficulties because the pension represents the income they expect after completing their years of service.
Okpara’s criticism extended to the police response to the reported protest. He called on the Commissioner of Police to apologise to Nigerians and the senior citizens involved.
His position was that the retirees’ demand for their entitlements should have been treated as a legitimate grievance rather than met with a response involving tear gas.
The lawyer’s remarks therefore focused on two separate issues arising from the reported incident: the continued failure to pay pensioners their entitlements and the manner in which security personnel responded when the affected retirees protested.
For Okpara, both issues require greater accountability.
He questioned the circumstances that allow someone who has devoted as much as 35 years to public service to reach retirement and still have to publicly demand payment of pension benefits.
The intervention also reflects the wider sensitivity surrounding pension obligations in Nigeria, where retirees depend on government and pension authorities to honour financial commitments arising from their years of service.
Okpara maintained that the situation should not be normalised. His argument is that pension payments are not discretionary benefits that retirees should have to repeatedly negotiate for after completing their service.
Instead, he called for a system in which government institutions are held accountable when pension obligations are not met.
The call to criminalise non-payment of pensions was therefore presented by Okpara as a necessary step toward protecting retirees and ensuring that pension obligations receive the seriousness he believes they deserve.
He also insisted that the treatment of elderly protesters should be examined, particularly where the demonstration was peaceful.
The controversy surrounding the Lagos protest has consequently placed pensioners’ demands and the conduct of security personnel at the centre of renewed public discussion.
While Okpara’s proposal would require legislative and policy consideration before it could become law, his argument is that existing approaches have not provided sufficient protection for retirees who experience delays in receiving their entitlements.
He believes that stronger consequences could serve as a deterrent and compel institutions responsible for pension payments to meet their obligations.
For the lawyer, the fundamental issue remains simple: Nigerians who spend decades working should not have to protest before receiving their pensions.
He concluded by reiterating that the non-payment of pensions should be treated as a serious rights issue and called for accountability from those responsible for ensuring retirees receive what is due to them.
Okpara’s comments have therefore added a legal and human-rights dimension to the controversy surrounding the reported police response to protesting pensioners, with his central demand being that pension payment failures should attract stronger consequences and that senior citizens should receive an apology for the reported treatment during the demonstration.
Criminalise Non-Payment of Pensions in Nigeria, Lawyer Maxwell Okpara Demands
