Socio-Economic Adjustment Of Retired Civil Servants In Kwara And Lagos States, Nigeria: A Qualitative Study

ABSTRACT

Employees in Nigeria often approach retirement with mixed feelings as they exit service. To many civil servants, it represents a transition from the known to the unknown. After retirement, income dwindles and financial expectations become less visible. This is because policies are not implemented to the letter, leaving retirees’ lives hanging on the balance in their old age. These individuals now have to struggle and rely on goodwill from their offspring to meet their most basic needs of feeding and good health. Incessant screening exercises under the Defined Benefit Pension Scheme and delay in commencement of gratuity and pension payment under the Contributory Pension Scheme led to series of challenges for these retirees. This study investigated the effects of retirement on retirees’ social status, factors that promote fulfilment after retirement, how they are adjusting to retirement and necessities for satisfying post-retirement years. Employing qualitative methods: snowball and purposive sampling methods were employed,and in-depth interviews and focus group discussion (FGD) utilised for data gathering. Data were collected digitally, transcribed verbatim and analysed, using the constant comparative method of grounded theory. Eighteen and fifteen retirees participated in the in-depth interview in Kwara and Lagos States respectively. Three and two pension officials were also interviewed in the two states in that order. Also, 6 and 4 FGD sessions were held in the States in that order. Six participants of the same sex constituted each focus group. The interviews continued in each state till the point of saturation was reached. In-depth interview sessions lasted between 50 and 75 minutes. Each FGD session lasted between 90 and 120 minutes. The transcripts were carefully analysed utilising open coding, axial coding and selective coding to identify the concepts, categories and core categories respectively. Ten categories emerged from Kwara State data and nine categories from Lagos data. Subsequently, 2 core categories emerged from each of the states. The main differences in the experiences of retired civil servants from both states were the unpreparedness of Kwara State participants for retirement in contrast to Lagos State participants, and the dichotomy that existed between State and Local Government Areas (LGAs)administration of retirees in Kwara State. These subjected retirees under the LGAs in Kwara State to immense financial pressure in their post-retirement years, compared to those under the State. While Lagos participants planned for retirement, they still experienced some challenges due to the delay in the commencement of payment ofpension, and their meagre monthly pension. Retired civil servants in the study areas, therefore, took to trading, farming, care-giving tasks, etc. These were in addition to more frugal and quiet lifestyles to stay afloat situations. Kwara State retirees desired LGAs’ autonomy and prompt and regular access to gratuity and pension. They also called for the establishment of retirees’ cooperative thrift societies across the State. Lagos State participants called for the reform of the new pension scheme leading to prompt payment of gratuity and pension after retirement.The study was concluded with a theoretical model: a micro-theory of lifestyle choices among retired civil servants of Kwara and Lagos States. It illustrated the relationship between the exogenous and endogenous factors in the post-retirement years of the retired civil servants in the study areas.

Keywords: Socio-economic adjustment, Retirement, Grounded theory, Constant comparative analysis, Exogenous factors, Endogenous factors