Ogun: Abiodun Reiterates Commitment To Payment Of Pensions Arrears
The Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun, at the weekend, assured pensioners in the state that payment of pensions will always receive priority attention within the resources available.
“As a follow-up to the promise made in 2021 to pay at least N500 million quarterly out of the outstanding gratuities owed by the previous administrations since 2011, we have been religiously paying as and when due.
“The government has redeemed the pledge by making the Q1 2022 payment of N500m, thereby making a total of N2.5bn paid. Another one is due and there is nothing that will stop that for the second quarter of this year.
“If our predecessors had done the same since 2011, more than N16bn would have been defrayed”, a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Kunle Somorin, stated.
The governor was quoted to have said that the payments were all inherited liabilities from previous administrations, adding also that the process of paying the gratuities could not be faulted.
“Only last week, we inaugurated a Committee on Contributory Pensions Scheme Review and Consequential Pensions Adjustment to ensure improved welfare for the public, civil servants, and pensioners.
“This step is in fulfilment of the Memorandum of Action signed by the Ogun State Government and the state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress”, he pointed out.
The statement urged leaders of the pensioners to be circumspect in their remarks on the state of their pension liability, especially, against an administration that prioritises their welfare.
While appreciating the pensioners for their patience and understanding, Abiodun posited that his administration cannot pay all the pensioners owed before he assumed office, in just three years.
Eighteen-Eleven Media reports the governor as assuring that efforts would be made to put smiles on the faces of the retired workers.
