Oyebanji Pays N3.5bn Gratuity to Retirees

Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti

Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, last Saturday brought joy to the faces of retirees by distributing gratuity cheques to the tune of N3.5 billion to them on a day they were marking this year’s edition of the Pensioners’ Day.

At the ceremony which was marked  at the Great Eagle Hall in Ado Ekiti, over 500 pensioners benefitted from the latest tranche of payment with N2.3 billion gratuity paid to state pensioners while local government pensioners got N1.2 billion gratuity.

With the payment of gratuity to the latest batch of pensioners, Governor Oyebanji’s commitment to defraying of outstanding gratuity has seen the backlog cleared to March 2015 up from payment up to 2012 he met on assumption of office in October 2022.

The gesture drew a deafening applause from the appreciative pensioners inside the hall who prayed for the governor and expressed their readiness to keep him in office with their votes at the next governorship election describing him as a “pensioners-friendly governor and elders-friendly governor.”

At the event, the retirees, through the Chairman of Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Ekiti State chapter, Mr. Joel Akinola, took time to reel out lots of goodies that pensioners have so far enjoyed from the Oyebanji administration in the last two years.

Governor Oyebanji also assured them of the readiness of his administration to commence the implementation of the new minimum wage of N70,000 which he described as a law that must be obeyed. He, however, noted that a little delay is being experienced in the state owing to the need to capture pensioners, teachers, state workers and local government workers together.

The governor said: “On the payment of your gratuity, I don’t think I have done anything spectacular. You are my parents and it is only a bastard that will not treat his parents well. My late mum died as a pensioner and my father who is at home is one of you.

“Whatever we are doing for you is not a favour, it’s your right because you worked for it. It is my desire that you are alive to collect your gratuity and every other entitlement that is due to you. Out of the three months arrears of local government pensioners, I have approved one month and we will deal with the remaining two months.

“As at date our administration had paid the sum of Five Billion, Four Hundred Million (N5,400,000,000) to 1,796 state pensioners and the sum of Two Billion, One Hundred and Seventy Nine Million, One Hundred and Ten Thousand, forty Six Kobo (N2,179,110,000.46) to 891 pensioners at the Local Government level.

“Today, I will be flagging off additional payment of N2.3billion to state pensioners and (N1.2billion to local government pensioners totaling N3.5bilion.  This is another demonstration of our administration’s commitment to your welfare.  I urge you to continuously pray for the success of this administration so that we shall continue to do more for you.

“After we might have paid (the beneficiaries of today), the gratuity payment will reach March 2015. We will continue to pay gratuity to our pensioners. Your prayers over me are getting answered, the only thing I need from you is your prayer.”

The Governor hailed President Bola Tinubu for his support for Ekiti State in allowing the state to get what was due to it while he also commended the Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Akintunde Oyebode, for offering quality advice on setting aside certain amount of money to enable the state clears more backlog of retirees’ entitlements.