Ondo Govt Commences Implementation Of 33.4% Pay Rise For Pensioners

By Niyi Olutunde, Akure

Pensioners in Ondo state are currently in a good mood as the State Government has approved the implementation of the 33.4% new minimum pension arrears for pensioners.

The acting chairman, NUP, in the state, Elder Adedapo Salami commended the Akeredolu administration for the commencement of the implementation of the approved 33% pension increase for Pensioners which their counterparts at the federal level have been enjoying since 2014.

Elder Salami gave the disclosure on Wednesday while speaking with journalists in Akure, the state capital.

“I can say that the period I had the happiest day of my life was the day government approved new minimum wage because we have been waiting for it, and we are very happy and grateful to Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu for the approval of this new minimum wage.

“While thanking Governor Akeredolu for doing this, we are still expecting the two and half months arrears of the local government and primary school pensioners. As a matter of fact, this present government met unpaid salaries and pensions of seven months arrears from the past government and the present government paid off the six months and even continue paying normal salaries. So we are appealing to government now to pay this two months arrears of local government and primary school teachers pensioners,” he said.

According to him, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu is passionate about the welfare of pensioners and the preservation their human dignity, saying that Akeredolu is a strong believer that pensioners, being senior citizens, contributed immensely to the foundation for Nigeria’s unity and growth.

Speaking in the same vein, the NUP Secretary, Comrade Akin Sunday enjoined the state government to do something on the payment of gratuity to Pensioners at both the state and local government levels in order to enhance prompt payment of gratuity to workers immediately after their retirement, lamenting that so many of the retirees have died before the payment of their gratuity.

“We have written several letters to the immediate past government for the approval and implementation of this new minimum wage for pensioners but no positive result. But we give thanks to God Almighty for giving us the regime of Oluwarotimi Akeredolu to approved and implemented this 33.4% increment for pensioners. In Ondo state today, our pensioners are jubilating, rejoicing and even praising Akeredolu led government for this approval and implementation.

“The sustainability of the payment was one of the major thing we looked into when we are having round table meeting with the state government and I want to believe that Ondo government should be able to sustain the payment”.

On pensioners gratuities, he said, “gratuities is a very critical area that the union will try to talk to government about it. Gratuity indebtedness of Ondo state government is over 60billion naira, in the last pensioners day, this ideas came up that we should approach the Central Bank on this kind of bonds and pay back to Central Bank and we have agreed to that so we are working now to push this to our state and federal government in order to get this gratuity for our pensioners.

“So we are appealing to both Ondo and Federal government to help us do something about this issue of gratuity because our pensioners are suffering of this gratuity”.