This headline may look unpatriotic or any way you chose to look at it but the fact remains we’ve had enough drama from the pension issues and it’s high time we move ahead and reform the much larger ecosystem that has allowed person like Maina to thrive, we’ve channeled so much energy on Maina, energy that could be channeled elsewhere.

The state of pensions in Nigeria is precarious, over the years subsequent administrations have campaigned with prompt payment of pensions and salaries but the state of pensioners in Nigeria has left a sour taste in our mouth as those saddled with the responsibility of taking care of pensioners have abandoned them to their fate.

The pension Reform act(2014) PRA 2014 which is expected to help remedy the deficiencies and inadequacies prevalent in pension issues in Nigeria is yet to be implemented by some states, as a result what we see around is poor standard of living for pensioners in Nigeria.

Pensioners across the three tiers of government are living miserable lives around the country as they’ve been abandoned. Pension office in the country is now a gateway to mortuary as many pensioners die on the queue while struggling for their life benefits.

This should not have been so but for the sake of the Maina’s we have all around the 35 states in Nigeria Except Lagos, benefits of pensioners have been held down far away from them.

The states have devised a continuous methods of holding on to the benefit of these individuals through different verification process which has further inflicted more sufferings on these individuals, the aftermath is the continuous agitations for extension of retirement age by labour unions  so that these individuals could amass enough money that could cater for them in retirement .

Also many civil servants have resorted to stealing of public funds which has further reduced the efficiency of the civil service.

Abdulrasheed Maina is one out of thousands  of people inflicting suffering on pensioners in Nigeria therefore the federal government is advised to stop all these prolonged focus on Maina and see to others making life difficult for Nigerian Pensioners.

Editor