Members of the 2011/2012 Forum of Pensioners under the aegis of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Osun State chapter, have publicly dissociated themselves from a newly registered group, accusing its promoters of fraud, financial exploitation and attempts to destabilise the union.
The position was made known on Thursday during a press conference held at the Pensioners’ Office, Kolabalogun area of Osogbo.
Addressing journalists, the Chairman of the forum, Pastor Fakorede Emmanuel, said the briefing became necessary to clarify what he described as “conflicting and misleading information” circulating in the public domain regarding the activities of a group registered as the Retired Public Servants Association of Osun State.
According to him, the association, reportedly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) with Emmanuel Olojede, Bisi Lawal and Emmanuel Ilesami as trustees, does not have the mandate of members of the 2011/2012 pensioners’ forum and should not be recognised as their representative body.
“We are appealing to our members to be wary of the clandestine moves by these individuals to drag our forum into unnecessary confrontation with the state leadership of NUP and the Osun State Government. We reject such actions in totality,” he said.
Fakorede further alleged that the trio had engaged in acts of financial mismanagement, lack of transparency and unauthorised leadership claims, including registering an association without the consent of forum members.
Fakorede accused them of collecting funds on behalf of the forum without proper accountability, citing instances where money allegedly received from government officials and contributions from members were not disclosed.
He also raised concerns over the integrity of documents submitted by the group in legal proceedings, alleging that the list of over 700 pensioners attached to their lawyers contained names of deceased persons, fictitious entries and individuals who did not consent to be included.
“Such a register is not only questionable but inadmissible in any court of law and should be disregarded entirely by the government in any official engagement,” he stated.
Fakorede reaffirmed that the forum remains under the umbrella of the NUP and would continue to pursue its demands, including the payment of gratuities, pension arrears and other outstanding entitlements, through legitimate and recognised channels.
Also speaking, the Osun State Treasurer of NUP, Comrade Ayodele Timothy, declared his full support for the forum’s position, warning against attempts to factionalise the union.
“I belong to the mainstream, and the mainstream body remains NUP. It is unacceptable for any group to claim legitimacy while acting outside the structure of the union. Such actions are driven by selfish interests and do not reflect the collective will of pensioners,” he said.
In his remarks, a state executive member of the union, Kolawole Koleoso, emphasised that the CAC registration of the association does not confer the authority to function as a trade union or represent pensioners in negotiations with the government.
Koleoso maintained that the forum and the NUP possess documentary evidence to support their claims and are prepared to defend their position in any appropriate forum.
The pensioners, therefore, called on the Osun State Government to disregard the association in all official dealings, insisting that only the NUP and its recognised structures have the legitimacy to represent their interests.
They also urged members of the 2011/2012 forum across the state to remain united and avoid associating with the breakaway group
