By Coach Babatunde Raimi
Your Excellency, Mr. President Sir,
I write this open letter not merely as a Retirement Coach and passionate advocate for post-service happiness, dignity and financial wellbeing for all retirees, but as a Nigerian who has been privileged to listen to the stories, anxieties and aspirations of men and women who gave the productive years of their lives to the service of our great nation.
Mr. President, thank you for the attention your administration has continued to give to pension matters. The pension sector has witnessed important developments – efforts to address pension liabilities, strengthen retirement income and introduce additional support through the Exit Benefit Scheme (EBS).
Your administration has commenced payment of the EBS to eligible retirees who exited Treasury-funded Federal MDAs in 2026, entitling beneficiaries to an amount equivalent to 100% of their total annual emoluments at retirement, subject to applicable conditions. These actions matter. They send a powerful message to the Nigerian worker: “Your years of service have not been forgotten.”
May We Now Ask For One More Act of Kindness?
With the greatest respect, I humbly appeal to you to consider extending the Exit Benefit Scheme to retirees who exited service before 2026 and who are otherwise qualified under the spirit and conditions of the scheme.
There are thousands of Nigerians who retired before 2026 who devoted decades of their lives to this country. Some served for 30 years. Some for 35 years. Some even longer.
The money is not just money. For many retirees, it could mean paying outstanding medical bills, purchasing essential medicines, supporting an ageing spouse, paying rent or completing urgent housing repairs, settling debts, supporting children and grandchildren, starting a small business, and restoring a sense of dignity and independence.
These are not merely pension statistics. They are fathers, mothers, teachers, nurses, administrators, engineers, security personnel, civil servants – Nigerians who gave their productive years to building this country.
A Sustainable Way Forward
We understand the realities of public finance. Our appeal is not “pay everyone immediately without a plan.” Our appeal is: “Mr. President, please find a sustainable, transparent and carefully structured way to extend the EBS to those who came before.”
For example:
- Phased payment arrangement based on retirement year, vulnerability or age.
- Dedicated and protected EBS fund at the Central Bank under PenCom’s management.
- Multi-year budgetary provisions to plan the liability.
- Actuarial assessment to determine total liability and annual funding.
- Prioritising vulnerable retirees – the very elderly and those in financial hardship.
- Strict accountability and verification to eliminate duplication and ghost beneficiaries.
- Investment of structured reserves in value-preserving instruments where legally appropriate.
- Annual sustainability review by government, PenCom and stakeholders.
Compassion and sustainability do not have to be opposing ideas.
For this intervention to succeed, all relevant stakeholders must be carried along – particularly the Nigeria Union of Pensioners Contributory Pension Scheme Sector (NUPCPS), which understands the realities on the ground, alongside PenCom, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Office of the Accountant-General, PFAs and other relevant institutions.
Let This December Bring Hope
December represents family, thanksgiving and hope. Imagine the joy of an elderly retiree receiving a message that says: “Your Exit Benefit has been approved and payment is being processed.”
Imagine a retired father able to pay his medical bills. Imagine a grandmother able to meet her own needs. Imagine a retiree finally receiving tangible evidence that “Nigeria remembers your service.”
That would be more than a financial intervention. It would be a Christmas gift of dignity.
History does not remember only budgets and infrastructure. History also remembers moments when leadership looked at vulnerable citizens and said: “We will not abandon you.”
We are not asking you to do the impossible. We are asking you to direct the relevant authorities to review the possibility of extension, determine financial implications through actuarial assessment, develop a phased payment plan, prioritise the vulnerable, provide budgetary provisions, and establish transparent verification mechanisms with full involvement of NUPCPS.
If it must be gradual, let it be gradual. If it must be prioritised, let the most vulnerable come first. But let the conversation begin with compassion.
Mr. President, from you to them, let the message be simple: You served Nigeria. Nigeria remembers.
With the highest respect and sincere appreciation,
Coach Babatunde Raimi
Passionate Advocate for Post-Service Happiness, Dignity & Financial Wellbeing of Retirees
Editor’s Note:
This is an open letter by Coach Babatunde Raimi appealing to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for an extension of the Exit Benefit Scheme to retirees who exited service before 2026. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
