Osun Retirees Protest, Demand N18,000 Minimum Wage Implementation From State Govt

By Ayobami Agboola, Osogbo

Retired public servants under the Forum of 2011/2012 Retired Public Servants of Osun have called on Governor Ademola Adeleke to obey a court order mandating the implementation of an N18,000 minimum wage for retirees.

The pensioners who converged in Ogo-Oluwa/Abere road, in Osogbo to press home their demands said , though they were barred from staging the peaceful protest at the Abere Governor’s office by the security personnel, but they were not deterred by the their action.

Speaking at Osogbo, the group’s leader, Comrade Yemi Lawal, accused the state government of failing to honor the ruling delivered by the Industrial Court on October 5, 2017.

“This is not the first time we are protesting. Since 2014, we have been agitating for our entitlements to be in conformity with the N18,000 minimum wage. Unfortunately, the government has defied this by paying only N9,000,” Lawal said.

He explained that despite winning their case in court, the government delayed action by filing an appeal in 2021, which was dismissed on February 7, 2024.

“We have made countless efforts to engage the government, written letters, organized press conferences, and contacted top officials, but there has been no response,” he lamented.

Lawal warned of possible unrest if the state government continues to disregard the court order.

“Governor Adeleke is a product of the judiciary. Why should he refuse to obey the court’s directive? If this continues, we may be forced to escalate our actions, but we still appeal for the peaceful resolution of this matter,” he said.

The group also criticized the recently announced payment of N25,000 to retirees, calling it insufficient. “How much is N25,000 in today’s economy? It cannot even buy 10 liters of petrol or basic food items,” Lawal argued, adding that retirees earning higher pensions would not benefit equitably from the blanket payment.

According to Lawal, the crux of their agitation lies in recalculating the difference between the N9,000 and N18,000 minimum wages and adjusting their terminal benefits accordingly. He emphasized that this adjustment would impact monthly pensions and gratuities, which have been outstanding since 2013.

“Our demand is simple: the government should calculate and pay the difference between N9,000 and N18,000, which is long overdue. Until this is done, we will not stop our agitation,” he concluded.

The group appealed to the Attorney General of the Federation and other stakeholders to intervene in ensuring the Osun State government complies with the court ruling.

Condemning the action of the security personnel, Comrade Sola Olojede , group secretary said despite the fact that the peaceful protest is constitutional right of any citizen , they were surprised that the security personnel denied them this right by asking them to vacate the government secretariat where the protest is billed to take place.