I’ll Not Play Politics with Welfare of Pensioners, Says Aiyedatiwa

 Fidelis David in Akure

Ondo State Governor, Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has re-echoed the commitment of his administration to the welfare of pensioners with a vow not to play politics or interfere with the comfort of the senior citizens.

Governor Aiyedatiwa stated these while speaking at the 2024 edition of a Pensioners’ Day celebration held at the union’s secretariat in Akure.

Aiyedatiwa, represented by his Chief of Staff, Olusegun Omojuwa, said upon assuming office on December 27, 2023, he implemented a coordinated and sustainable strategy to allocate funds regularly for the clearance of pension backlogs and has made substantial progress in addressing the arrears for state retirees from 2014 and 2015, as well as those for local government retirees from 2021 to 2013, ensuring that the backlogs are cleared month by month.

The governor, who described pensioners’ as significant stakeholders and vital contributors to the development of Ondo State’s public service highlighted some of the key actions his government has taken to improve the welfare of the senior citizens

According to him, “We have sustained monthly fund releases for the payment of gratuities, both at the local and state government levels. We ensure regular payment of pensions to our retirees at both levels and conduct sensitization seminars for retiring civil servants and teachers. We have aligned the payment of monthly pensions with the salaries of active workers, so that all payments are completed by month-end.”

Notably, the governor said his administration has been transparent and committed to the welfare of our retirees stressing that, in addition to monthly payments, a significant amount of N1.600 billion was allocated between January and August 2024 for pension payments. “Furthermore, we allocated N1.018 billion each month for gratuities under the Local Government Service Scheme. We are committed to your welfare and have ensured that politics will not interfere with the comfort of our elders. As such, you can be rest assured that your pensions will be paid without delay or stress.”

Earlier in his address, the state Chairman NUP, Johnson Osunyemi, said the union, comprising 28,000 members, has unanimously endorsed the governor for the November 16 gubernatorial election, describing him as a pensioners’ friendly governor.

“We wish to use today’s celebration, not only as an avenue to celebrate your empathetic and compassionate dispositions to us alone but to also affirm your candidature as our anointed gubernatorial candidate and direct all our over 28,000 Pensioners and our families to vote for you at the November 16 governorship polls so that the good work we are enjoying can continue.

“We observe, with excitement and ecstasy how the hither-to sinking ship of our dear Sunshine State has suddenly been brought afloat with the emergence of His Excellency, Lucky Orimisan Ayedatiwa as our governor.

“We note with utter satisfaction how we suddenly danced out of the quagmire of percentage payments and six and seven and a half months pension arrears of state and local government pensioners to full payments of our monthly pensions, devoid of any arrears again,” he said.