The Secretary, Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Oyo State, Mr Olusegun Abatan, on Monday, praised the Governor Seyi Makinde government for paying thrice more in pensions, in one year, than the immediate past government did in eight years.
Abatan stated this when Makinde did a symbolic handing over of gratuity cheques to 82 retirees of the year 2013, at Government House, Ibadan.
Bemoaning nonpayment of gratuity and pensions by the past government accumulating to N26 billion, Abatan lauded the current government for paying over N4.2 billion in the past one year.
He noted the ability of the Makinde government to pay N3.2billion gratuity to retired primary school teachers and local government pensioners and another N1billion to retirees in MDAs was due to the administration’s consistency in paying N180 million as gratuity monthly.
“It is pertinent to let people know that it was you that increased gratuity from N100million monthly instituted by Lam Adesina in the year 2001 to N200 million immediately you took over the reins of governance in Oyo state. if we add over N3.2billion gratuity that you had paid retired primary school teachers and local government pensioners to another N1billion plus that you paid pensioners who retired in the MDAs, you had paid thrice more than what the last administration paid in gratuities in eight unbroken years,” Abatan said.
He, however, called for harmonisation of pensioners, noting that some still collect N330 per month.
This is as he called for upward review of gratuity paid retired primary school teachers and local government workers.
One of the benefiting retirees, Mr Olafimihan Paul, remarked that the joy of pensioners under the Makinde government was full.
According to Olafimihan, the era of pensioners crying, dying, fainting, going hungry, protesting was over.
While handing over the cheques, Makinde described as disheartening the failure of the past government to do what it should have done regarding pensioners.
While decrying that his administration met backlog of N26 billion for 6,274 pensioners, Makinde assured that his government will continue to clear the backlog as its resources increased from efforts to expand the state’s economy.
So far, he said the state had paid N1.98 billion to 886 retired workers for the year 2011 to 2013.
It is indeed disheartening that previous administrations in the state have left the debt of backlog of unpaid gratuity for this administration which runs to about N26 billion when my administration came on board. Enough efforts were not put into this payment and about 6,274 pensioners in the state had not been paid this entitlement as at the time until reference.”
“My administration has committed a whopping sum of N1,980,000,000 to this payment from June 2019 to April 2020 with a total number of 886 retired workers benefitting so far.
Efforts in the past have not abated the suffering of the retirees in the state, their lawful demands were either neglected or partially attended to. Many of these people had died in suffering, while some others that are living are in agony because they have been denied their lawful entitlements.”
Earlier, the Commissioner for Establishment and Training, Prof Dahud Sangodoyin, disclosed that the current administration had increased the monthly release for payment of gratuity from N100 million to N180 million.