At Annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service, Makinde Promises to Review Pension Wages

Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

Oyo State Governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, yesterday, promised to review pensioners’ wages and gratuities, clear the backlog of arrears and revisit the Contributory Pension Scheme in the state.

This was just as he vowed to get rid of banditry and other crimes, charging traditional rulers to oversee and exercise authority in their domains with a view to helping the government improve security in the state.

Makinde made these remarks at the 2025 Annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service, the 6th edition since 2019, held at the Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.

He commended the state’s workforce and the labour union leaders for their support and cooperation since the inception of his administration, charging them to put in more effort towards validating their values as public/civil servants.

He also congratulated the 45 newly-appointed Permanent Secretaries, emphasising that most of them merited the appointments after going through rigorous examinations and screening exercises.

The governor advised them to see their appointments as the beginning of good things in their lives.

According to him,  “I want to use this opportunity to say thank you to our Labour leaders. I sincerely thank you for what you are doing on behalf of our state.

“I have been extremely lucky to have met this set of Labour leaders. You have cooperated with us. Well, we are working towards the same purpose and you have demonstrated that over and over again. So, I sincerely thank you.

“To the workers, your disposition and support have given us a lot of encouragement and I want to urge you to keep it up. The way we lay our bed is the way we will sleep on it. Don’t relent and I believe tomorrow will be better.

“To the new Permanent Secretaries, I want to say congratulations to all of you. I can say it openly and you are there to validate this — 80 per cent of you emerged strictly based on merit. Gone are the days in Oyo State when Permanent Secretaries were appointed on the basis of who you knew or who knew the governor.

“You have done exams, passed in flying colors and you have been appointed Permanent Secretaries. By the grace of God, on Monday, I will swear you in. Take this as the beginning of good things in your life.

“This is also a validation of what Oyo State Civil Service stands for. We have said everyone will be rewarded for his hard work. So, those of you striving, your own time will also come.”