Osun IDPs Are Ingrates – Aregbesola

Osun State chapter of Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has lauded Governor Rauf Aregbesola for paying the arrears of their pension just as the governor described a section of them who cladded themselves as Internally Displaced Pensioners (IDP) as bunch of ingrates.

Aregbesola who spoke at the weekend in Osogbo when a multitude of pensioners held a rally to demonstrate their support for his government and assured him of their continued support, said his administration gives priority attention to retired workers and multiplies money for payment of pensions by five times and pays as at when due until November 2014 when recession came in.

He noted that his government borrowed as much as N25billion from banks to pay workers’ salaries and pension and stopped when it could no longer cope with the huge wage and pension.

The Governor who justified his love for workers and retired ones, explained that Osun State is the only state in the federation that implemented 142% pension increment approved by Abacha Military Regime, adding that between 2015 and 2016, his administration had paid N9.6billion to retired workers alone.

He expressed his commitment to the welfare of workers and pensioners and gave assurance that he would not relent in ensuring that they are accorded deserved attention.

Earlier, the chairman of NUP under the aegis of Triangular Group of Pensioners, Prince Rotimi Adelugba said that majority of pensioners in the State were grateful to Aregbesola for his magnanimity as demonstrated in the payment of their pensions till December 2016.

He cautioned other retired civil servants in the state not to play politics with the issue of the payment of pension by the state government saying that there were no displaced pensioners in Osun.

He said “The state government set up a committee headed by a veteran labour leader and former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Hassan Sumonu to fine-tune the issue of salary and pension payment in the state and suggest the best approach to the salary and pension issues in the state.

“The committee comprised leaders of labour unions in the state and after a comprehensive analysis of the financial situation of the state, the committee proffered a way forward and we all saw reasons to accept the recommendation of the committee in the best interest of the generality of the workers, pensioners and the good people of our dear state.

“We all agreed that the state government should not downsize because we didn’t want any worker in the state to be sacked. Therefore, the only option we had was to agree with the modulated salary scheme in which the junior officers from level 01 to level  07 would get their full salary but the senior staff from level 08 and above would be earning half of their salary and the same thing applicable to the pensioners.

“It was agreed that the modulated salary would be revisited once the economy of the state improves and that was exactly what Governor Aregbesola did recently when the modulated salary scheme was reviewed upward. The governor has never reneged in this arrangement but some retirees allowed politicians to use them to embarrass the state and that was unfortunate.

“Though, we also need the money but we realised that we must show understanding since we also know the financial status of Osun State government. The state government has paid up our pension up till December 2016. We are aware that the payment of pension gulp N9.4 from the coffers of the state government and this is commendable”. He said

He said the retirees in the state want more from the state government and urged the governor to sustain the payment of their monthly pension. He also urged the governor to create special units in all state hospitals where senior citizens including the pensioners would be attended to when they need medical attention.

Adelugba condemned the action of some pensioners who claimed that they set up Internally Displaced Pensioners camp whereas they were not displaced. He warned that such action could send a wrong signal about the state. He said NUP sympathise with Nigerians who are in IDP camp in some Northern states and prayed God to give them succour.

“We also commend our dear governor Aregbesola for his love for the workers and the pensioners in the state. The governor paid the backlog of the arrears of 142 per-cent of pension increase to eligible pensioners. We are grateful to Governor Aregbesola for jacking up the monthly pension bill from N200 million to 600 million”, the NUP chairman said.

Source Leadership