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Osun Local Government Retirees Call For Full Payment Of Pensions
A group of local government retirees in Osun, under the Forum of Local Government Retirees has called on the state government for immediate reversal of their pension payments to full payment from half/modulated pension payments.
The group made the call during a press conference in Osogbo on Thursday, on the backdrop of their pension payment suffering delays in the hands of state government departments/agents responsible for the payments.
They claimed that Federal allocation to the state local government was being used to settle salaries and pensions owed state workers and pensioners and demanded that the state government should start prompt payment of their pensions without delay.
Mr Lanre Fadahunsi, Coordinator of the group said, it was unfair that workers in the state civil service and pensioners are getting paid ahead of them, the statutory owners of the local government allocation used to pay salaries and pensions.
“The state government have relegated payment of our own people, and have given priority to the payment of state civil servants and retirees when it comes to paying salaries and pensions.
“Despite that our pensions had equally been cut, through the modulated/half salary payment arrangement in the state, our pension still get paid after others had received their payment alerts.
“The local government is the proverbial goose that lays the Golden egg, our pension and the salary of local government workers should always be given priority ahead of other state workers’ payments.
“Local government retirees have kept quiet, stayed back, watched and comply with the state government directives and now we are faced with fatalities.
“We are mature and we are not here to fight anybody. What we want is to be loved and so the state government must give payment of our pension due attention.” he said
He said the local government retirees, like other workers in the state, had been collecting half pension in the last 24 months, which amounts to the fact that they are owed one year pension by the state government.
He therefore asked the state government to commence full payment of pensions to the retirees, not to delay their pension payment, change banks prolonging their payments as well as make financial position of local government known to the public in line with Freedom of Information bill.
