By Sunday Oguntuyi, Osogbo
Osun State governor, Ademola Adeleke, on Thursday, presented bond certificates worth N2.1 billion to retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme.
This, the governor, said, is part of his efforts at clearing outstanding arrears the benefits of active and retired workers.
The beneficiaries cut across pensioners who left service at the state and local government levels.
Speaking before the presentation at the Local Government Service Commission in Osogbo, he said the paucity of funds would not stop him from prioritising the welfare of both active and passive workers in the state.
He said: “Despite the weak funding base of the state, we launched out in pursuance of our electoral pledge. Within a very tight financial regime, we are addressing outstanding pension and salary debt. We are gradually clearing outstanding arrears owed to workers, in and out of service.
“The template for payment that our government issued early this year is still very much in force. We are following it religiously. Even when the paucity of funds threatens implementation, I insisted we must act to satisfy our senior citizens who are suffering in retirement.
“Permit me to reassure our senior citizens that we are not and will never play politics with their welfare. I invite them to note that the economic mess we met on the ground was deeper than anybody can imagine. The state purse was almost in the red with very harsh deductions and repayment.
Our fathers and mothers, your state ran aground. Your government which is barely eight months old is working tirelessly to rebuild We are recharging to address your interest and that of the populace”, he said.
The governor, thereafter presented the bond certificates to selected pensioners cutting across both the local and state government service.
Addressing the pensioners in Osogbo after the presentation of the bond certificates, Adeleke pointed out that his administration has taken another critical step to correct errors of the past.
He said: “When I was campaigning for the governorship, It was a deliberate decision to put workers’ welfare as number one on my governance agenda. I know the level of inhuman treatment our workers and pensioners have been subjected to. I had a vow that if elected, never must our pensioners be so badly treated again.
“Despite the weak funding base of the state, we launched out in pursuance of our electoral pledge. Within a very tight financial regime, we are addressing outstanding pension and salary debt. We are gradually clearing outstanding arrears owed to workers, in and out of service.”
Adeleke, while reassuring the senior citizens that he would never play politics with their welfare, stated: “The economic mess we met on ground was deeper than anybody can imagine. The state purse was almost in the red with very harsh deductions and repayment.”
Giving a breakdown of how his administration has fared in clearing outstanding arrears of pensioners in the Local Government, he said, “Between November 2022 and before today’s programme, a sum of N7,329,225,294.74 had been released for payment of pensions, gratuity, and accrued rights benefits for local government and primary school retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme.
“Today, bond certificates worth N1,242,927,554.31 will be released to the same set of workers. Thus, from the inception of the administration to date, a total of N8,572,152,849.05 has been released.”
At the state level, the governor said, “Between November 2022 and before today’s programme, a sum of N4,088,006,280.43 had been released for payment of gratuity and accrued rights benefits of retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme in the Ministries, Departments
and Agencies, secondary and tertiary institutions. This is apart from about N3.6bn committed to the payment of pension from December 2022 to date.
“For retirees at the state level under the Contributory Pension Scheme, bond certificates worth N836,823,243.00 are to be distributed to them today. Thus, the commitment of the government to the payment of gratuity and accrued rights benefits of retirees at the state level under the CPS to date is N4,924,829,243.00.”
He added, “The total we are handing out today is N2.1 billion.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Adeleke approved the release and distribution of the bond certificates to the pensioners under the contributory pension scheme at the state and local government levels.
A statement on Wednesday by the Head of Service, Mr. Ayanleye Aina, explained that the beneficiaries cut across local government areas, local council development areas, area councils, ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), secondary schools, tertiary institutions, and parastatals.
According to the statement, the presentation ceremony was billed to hold on Thursday, at the Local Government Service Commission Multipurpose Hall, Government Secretariat, Abere.
It said that the presentation of the bond certificates is “in consonance with one of the campaign promises of the Governor in ensuring that the welfare of pensioners and active workers is given adequate attention during his tenure.”
