14th December, 2021
By Adejoke Adeleye, Abeokuta
Local Government Pensioners Association of Nigeria (LOGPAN), Ogun State Chapter, has accused incumbent governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun of using them for his governorship aspiration and dumping them after becoming governor.
LOGPAN made this allegation through its State Chairman, Alhaji Sikiru Ayilara during his welcome speech to mark the 2021 Pensioners’ Day.
Ayilara lamented that Abiodun, who all pensioners believed to be the bright hope for the fruitage of their labours was now the one ill-treating them.
He said Abiodun should know that refusing to pay pensioners their gratuities was a subtle way of telling the pensioners to take their gratuities in the grave.
Ayilara said, “Permit me to say that failure on the part of any government at all levels to take proper care of retirees is a bad signal to the serving civil servants; it is capable of discouraging patriotism and encouraging taking undue advantage of public funds.
“It is saddening, facing the reality at the eleventh hour of our lives that Gov Dapo Abiodun in whom we nurtured brighter hope of receiving the fruitage of our hard labour has resolved to treat us as ‘used and dumped”.
“With our terribly precarious conditions; unable to afford three square meals, lacking life-saving medical, dying as chickens after 35 years of patriotic service to Ogun State, Gov Dapo Abiodun wouldn’t see reason to listen to our plights at least for once. What a faceless Governor!”.
Ayilara, however, hinted that it was the governor’s refusal to the 13 letters that had been written by the association since his resumption to office that led to their protest in June, September and November in which they never had the opportunity to meet the governor.
“You will all recall that it was His Excellency’s brazen refusal to respond to our thirteen (13) letters of appeal that prompted us to stage three (3) protests consecutively.
“The third protest saw the newly appointed Head of Service promised that within two weeks, he would make sure the Governor meet with us to find a lasting solution. As we speak, he has become another prank.
“The truth is, in the last two and half years, Gov Abiodun has been giving flimsy excuse; insufficient funds to clear the ₦68bn.
“You may recall that early this year, His Excellency began payment of ₦500m every four months, a schedule that will take thirty-four (34) years to pay off the ₦68bn (ten years outstanding gratuity up to 2019).
“What about the outstanding ₦20bn of those who have retired between June 2019 and December 2021?”
The pensioners, however, compared the governor with his colleagues in other states, “the quarterly release of N500 million is not a favour they should jump at.
“Whereas, Gov Zulum of Borno State, in spite of the incessant insurgencies in the state, was able to source for sufficient fund to pay ₦12bn outstanding Gratuity in one day.
“Gov Seyi Makinde received an Award recently through his Commissioner of Information being a friend of Pensioners for his sincerity of purpose towards payment of gratuity.
“Of recent, Makinde paid ₦8bn outstanding gratuity in a day; a State with low IGR compared to Ogun State of Prince Dapọ Abiodun.
“Gov Oyetola has paid over ₦40bn within the last three years, in addition to the latest ₦708m to 300 retirees.
“Gov Sanwo-Olu who makes sure pensioners get deserved priority has paid ₦32.8bn Gratuity for 8,170 retirees in two years. After all, former Governor Gbenga Daniel paid all outstanding gratuity in one day.
“Gov Abiodun should know that refusing to pay pensioners their gratuities is a subtle way of telling the pensioners to take their gratuities in the grave.
“We are saying categorically that Gov Abiodun hasn’t been doing us any favour by the release of half a billion naira (₦500m) quarterly as part-payment of outstanding gratuity being secretly paid to unknown persons as members of Local Govt Pensioners Association, Ogun State.
“At this juncture, we are begging all the lovers of the aged in Ogun State, Nigeria by extension, to please talk to Gov Dapo Abiodun in the language he understands so that the Local Govt Pensioners wouldn’t toil for 35 years in vain,” he said.