Retirees under the aegis of the Joint Forum of Contributory Pensioners, Osun State chapter, yesterday protested in Osogbo over the failure of the government to pay their pension and gratuity.
The retirees comprising primary school, secondary school, tertiary institution, state and local government pensioners, carried placards with inscriptions such as “No One Sponsor Us But Hunger and Thirsty”, “ We Are Not Politicians But Contributory Pensioners”, “Governor Oyetola Denying Us Our Money Is Abuse of Power”, “In Osun State, It Is From Service To Servitude”, among others. They chanted anti-government songs.
The protesters urged Governor Adegboyega Oyetola to borrow N50 billion to pay off their entitlement, “since the government is continuously saying borrowing is the only way out.”
The Chairman of the retirees, Gbenga Oyadare, addressing reporters, demanded the release of bond certificates and cash backing for the contributory pensioners, who had completed the processing of their retirement papers from August 2016 to date for final payment.
They said the government should not sacrifice their welfare in repayment of the state debt.
“Don’t sacrifice us for the debt of Osun State. The bailout obtained by the Rauf Aregbesola administration will be liquidated in 2035. Is this the time the government will pay us? They must not defray the debt at our detriment.”
“We submitted our petition to the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) by hand to notify them that our salary was deducted for over three years without remitting to the PENCOM. We urge the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to invite us and also Aregbesola for questions over our money he deducted.
“The government should make it a policy to allocate at least N500 million monthly to the contributory pensions account to facilitate quick payment of retirees’ entitlements. Government should prioritise half salary arrears payment of contributory pensioners to serve as a veritable source of income for the past six years without earning anything. This will financially assist the contributory pension retirees.”