The Oyo State Government has described the 14-day ultimatum issued by the state chapter of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) over unpaid pension arrears as unnecessary, saying funds had already been approved for the payment of retirees’ entitlements.
Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Mr Bimbo Kolade, disclosed this on Tuesday, explaining that the state government had approved N880 million for the payment of outstanding pensions owed retired Local Government workers and primary school teachers.
According to Kolade, Governor Abiola Ajimobi approved the release of the funds on Friday, October 7, 2016, following deliberations at the monthly Joint Account Allocation Committee meeting involving caretaker chairmen of the various Local Government Areas in the state.
“Facts and figures I have with me from the Local Government Staff Pensions Board indicate that Governor Abiola Ajimobi, on Friday, October 7, 2016, approved the sum of N880 million for the payment of arrears being owed retired Local Government primary school teachers and Local Government retirees,” he said.
Kolade described the NUP publication issuing the ultimatum as mischievous, baseless and unacceptable, arguing that the action was unnecessary because funds had already been approved to address the pension arrears.
While assuring Local Government retirees of the government’s commitment to their welfare, the commissioner urged pensioners to participate in the ongoing verification exercise being conducted by the Local Government Staff Pensions Board.
He explained that the exercise had helped the government identify about 400 pensioners whose gratuities were still pending because of discrepancies or unresolved issues with their records.
“The verification exercise has assisted the state government through the Local Government Staff Pensions Board in discovering about 400 names of pensioners whose gratuities are pending, but have issues with their data,” Kolade said.
The commissioner also appealed to labour leaders in the state to continue to embrace dialogue in resolving issues concerning workers’ welfare, rather than resorting to confrontations through newspaper publications.
He noted that the labour-government standing committee regularly met to deliberate on matters relating to wages, salaries and pensions, urging stakeholders to use the platform to find lasting solutions to outstanding issues.
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