...As gov restates commitment to retirees’ welfare

Pensioners from all geopolitical zones of Oyo State, on Thursday, converged at the Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, in their hundreds to appreciate the state governor for turning around their fortunes through the recent review of pensions in the state.

The pensioners, under the aegis of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Oyo State Council said the review has made Oyo State pensioners the highest-paid state pensioners in the federation.

This was as the NUP, South-West Zonal Council, also lauded Governor Makinde for the review of pensions, which led to the payment of N25,000 as minimum pension to the least paid pensioner, the factoring of 33 per cent pension increase of 2010, the consequential adjustment of 2019, 20 per cent of pension increase and part of N32,000 minimum wage across the board for Oyo State pensioners.

The South-West NUP, in a letter dated 12th February 2025 and signed by its chairman Comrade Waidi Oloyede and secretary, Comrade Sunday Akin, expressed its gratitude to the governor.

Speaking at the appreciation rally, the Secretary of the NUP, Oyo State Council, Comrade Olusegun Abatan, in a speech entitled “Resurrected Pensioners in Oyo State Appreciate Engr. Seyi Makinde” praised the governor for changing the plight of pensioners.

He maintained that the governor started on a great note when he assumed office in 2019 by paying gratuities that were “criminally held down for a whole eight years,” started paying pensions on the 25th of every month and crowned the efforts with the latest review of pensions after all entreaties to previous administrations failed.

He said: “16 years before you took over the mantle of government in Oyo State, pensioners had no government that was sympathetic and empathetic to their plights.

“Gratuities were not paid as and when due, pensions of those times were withheld or paid in instalments and all entreaties to the governments fell on deaf ears, resulting in massive deaths of our members.

“At one point, Oyo State pensioners were referred to as dead people and in actual fact, we were dying like fowls afflicted by Newcastle disease.

‘When you contested for the first term, we just wanted anybody that would liberate us from the shackles of death and we went ahead to vote en masse for you. We did the same thing when you threw your hat into the ring for a second term.

“You have not disappointed us. Our pensions became regular; you started paying our gratuities that were criminally held down for a whole eight years because we were alleged not to have voted for them.

“During those locust years, extant provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) which stipulated that pensions should be increased were jettisoned outright by past administrations.

“This culminated in some of our members earning between N350-N1,000 as monthly pensions. All entreaties to those emperors fell on deaf ears.

“The only respite we had was a token review of pensions 18 years ago, with increases in pensions from 2007 to 2019 sniggered at by past governors.

”Our union began its legitimate pressure for the implementation of pension increases when you became governor and you took time consulting widely on how to go about reviewing the stagnant pensions.

“We know all bucks stop on your table and because we know you are kind, humane and compassionate to the pensioners, our letter to you struck humanity in you, resulting in your approval that the least paid pensioners in Oyo State should now earn N25,000 per month.

“You didn’t stop there, you directed that all pension increases since 2007 be factored into the pensions of affected pensioners, culminating in an unprecedented increase in the pension of our members.

“This increase is unprecedented in the annals of pension review in Oyo State and the first of its kind in the whole of the federation.”

In his response, Governor Makinde represented by the Deputy Governor, Barr. Abdulraheem Bayo Lawal said his government would continue to remain committed to the welfare of pensioners and the improvement of their standard of living.

The governor commended the pensioners and their leadership for showing gratitude to his government, stating that his government knows the importance of prioritising the welfare of pensioners, who had contributed 35 years of their lives to the development of the state during their active service years.

He noted that in 2019, the gratuities and pension arrears owed by past administrations were to the tune of about N61 billion, but his government has been able to offset a huge chunk of the debt, declaring that the administration would offset the debt before the expiration of its second tenure in May 2027.

He said: “Actually, what happened this morning was quite unprecedented in the sense that, in my experience, pensioners have never come to express appreciation to any government.

“So, this is quite unprecedented and it is because of what this administration has done for them in terms of improving the welfare of pensioners in Oyo State.

“You would have observed when Comrade Abatan indicated that before now, pensioners were receiving between N350 and N1,000 and that the last time a pension review was undertaken was during the administration of former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala. Since then, there have not been improvements in their pensions until now.

“What we did as an administration was to look at all the circumstances — socio-economic and others and to say, okay, what will be the living pension for our pensioners? So, we fixed what we consider as a living pension which, in fact, was enough average for our pensioners.

“To that extent, they felt they must come and show appreciation. What they have done this morning was a testament of appreciation, which would also make the government look into other areas where they can have an advantage.”