A retired head teacher, Mr Charles Ogunbanwo, while speaking with BIODUN BUSARI, recounts how his wife, Hannah, relentlessly demanded her retirement benefits from the Ogun State Government before she died after undergoing two surgeries
Can you share some information about yourself?
I am a retired head teacher from Sagamu Local Government Area of Ogun State. I met my wife in 1991. We courted for two years and got married in 1993. We were blessed with four children: three boys and a girl.
How would you describe your wife?
She was a lovable, hardworking and respected woman. She was employed by the Ogun State Government in 1991. My wife had zero tolerance for injustice, which was why she often found herself in leadership positions.
She started her teaching career at St Peter’s School, Atoba, Orile-Oko, in Remo North Local Government Area. She taught in several schools before being transferred to Sagamu Local Government Area. In 2010, she became a head teacher.
She was a passionate leader and was the chairperson of the Association of Primary School Head Teachers of Nigeria in her area until she retired on January 16, 2026.
Did she play any active role among retired civil servants?
Immediately after her retirement, she went to the National Pension Commission administrator in Abeokuta to update her account. There, it was confirmed that she had about N4m. We learnt that her benefits had been under-calculated. It was not only her; some of her colleagues were also affected.
When this was discovered, my wife and other affected retirees called on the state government to look into their cases because they considered it unfair to retire with N4m without receiving their lump-sum benefits.
They asked the government to pay them about 50 per cent of their accrued benefits, while the balance could be spread over the next 15 years after retirement. These were the main demands of their campaign. My wife was one of the leading voices in our local government and became the leader of the group in her area of Remo.
What was the outcome of their appeal to the state government?
Following their report and agitation, I can tell you that, as of last month, the N4m had increased to about N15m.
According to the pension policy as I understand it, any government that fails to remit contributions when due is required to pay an additional two per cent interest for every month of default. They were demanding the accrued benefits arising from the outstanding contributions withheld by the government.
That was the situation my wife and other retirees found themselves in. The government failed to listen to them, leading them to approach a law firm. Unfortunately, my wife died on October 16.
Did she receive any payment before her death?
From the information available to me, the state government attempted to pay them off. However, they were told that the Contributory Pension Scheme, which is a new policy, would be used. This was detrimental to retirees who had worked so hard for the government.
Whatever the government considered before adopting the policy, I do not believe it was in the interest of those who had diligently served the state. I consider it sheer wickedness.
We have also heard about similar agitations in other states. We heard that even the police demanded to be treated under the old pension scheme.
The state government insisted on using the new system, but my wife and the other retirees wanted the Defined Benefit Scheme. Some of them went to the banks, but those who had received cheques were not fully paid because they had not transferred to their Retirement Savings Accounts.
The group’s leadership advised members not to accept cheques under the new scheme. However, the state government maintained that it could not pay them under the Defined Benefit Scheme.
Were there peaceful rallies to demand their benefits?
Yes. I can recall at least three occasions when they held rallies, and my wife participated. They organised rallies at the state level to demand their benefits.
She had always performed well as a zonal coordinator. That was one of the reasons people loved her: she was passionate about activities that promoted people’s welfare.
What effect do you think the struggle had on her health?
I believe the failure of the government to pay her benefits took its toll on her. She regularly participated in the struggle as a leader.
I am also a retired teacher, but I am under the old pension scheme. The little I receive monthly is what the entire family survives on. If she had been receiving her regular retirement benefits, she might have been better able to meet her needs and manage the situation. This is a devastating period for me and our children.
Did she receive any pension benefits before her death?
She did not receive a penny from the government during the nine months after her retirement.
The amount retirees receive depends on their level at retirement and other factors. Some might receive N20,000, N100,000, N200,000 or N300,000 monthly, depending on their years of service and other considerations. I am speaking from my experience under the old pension scheme, but my wife did not receive anything.
If we were given the money to meet her needs and reduce the physical and emotional stress she was going through, things might have been different.
How much do you think she should have received as monthly pension benefits?
She retired at Level 16. If I am not mistaken, based on the old pension scheme, she would have been entitled to more than N300,000 monthly.
The entire situation was sickening and heartbreaking. She did not receive a dime. She fought for her benefits, but unfortunately, the system was cruel.
Did she have any underlying health conditions?
She had always been healthy, and there were no indication of any illness until about three months ago. The doctors diagnosed her with cyanosis. I found it strange when she was taken to the hospital because I did not know what could have caused it.
There was also a problem with her nasal passage. She was taken to a privately owned hospital in Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, where she was admitted for a month. She underwent two surgeries before she eventually died. We spent a lot of money trying to save her life.
Can you estimate how much you spent on her treatment?
We spent more than N8m. The money came from charitable donations and other sources. When the illness started, we appealed to philanthropists and family members for help, and we also borrowed money. I am now indebted to many people because we did everything we could to save her life.
Members of her retirement groups also intensified their efforts to persuade the government to address the issue of her outstanding nine months’ retirement benefits, but nothing happened.
Later, we were referred to another hospital in Lagos. She was supposed to continue her treatment on the 26th of this month. We had deposited N2m at that hospital. You can imagine the loss we have suffered.
What happened on the day she died?
She died on Thursday, October 16. She returned from Lagos on Saturday, October 11. The following Thursday, her condition worsened, and she began to behave strangely.
We decided to take her to a nearby hospital, Owokoniran Hospital in Sagamu, but she did not spend up to 30 minutes at the hospital before she gave up the ghost.
How have your children been coping with the loss?
It was the saddest day for them. They knew their mother as a good woman, but death snatched her away unexpectedly. Nobody expected her to die so soon. It was a painful exit, and I am struggling to cope with the loss.
What will you remember her for?
She will be remembered for all the good qualities anyone could wish for in a person. She was kind, respectful, dedicated and hardworking. She exhibited the qualities of a virtuous woman throughout her life, not only towards me but also towards everyone who encountered her.
She was passionate about people’s welfare and wanted a better life for herself and others. She strongly believed in putting smiles on people’s faces.
My wife gave her years, strength, time and productive life to the service of Ogun State.
What do you want the Ogun State Government to do?
The government has everything it needs to do the right thing, and that is what it should do.
Those directly affected by the new scheme, the Contributory Pension Scheme, have complained that it is depriving them of their hard-earned benefits, but the government officials responsible have refused to listen.
Many retirees have died without receiving their retirement benefits, yet the authorities do not seem to care. It is painful that those who served the state diligently are left to suffer in retirement.
At this point, the government should revert to the old scheme, the Defined Benefit Scheme. If it does not want retired civil servants to continue languishing in anxiety, hardship and uncertainty, it should listen to their demands and address their grievances.