Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State has explained why his administration discontinued the monthly N10,000 cash palliative for state pensioners.
The stipend, approved by Aiyedatiwa’s late boss, former Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, in August of last year, was intended to mitigate the impact of President Bola Tinubu’s government’s subsidy removal.
On Tuesday, the pensioners appealed to the state government to reinstate the payment of the palliative cash for them.
They cited the current economic hardship in the nation as a reason for their request.
The State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Hon. Johnson Osunyemi, expressed disappointment, stating that the pensioners had not received the palliative wage award since January this year.
Osunyemi noted that the Oyo state government was providing N15,000 as a palliative package to its pensioners and had also extended the initiative for one year.
However, while addressing state workers at the Workers’ Day programme, Aiyedatiwa said pensioners’ monthly payments of N10,000 were unsustainable.
He emphasised his administration’s commitment to ensuring that pensioners’ inherited gratuity arrears are paid on a regular basis.
According to him, “monthly commitment of N200million for steady payment of inherited arrears of gratuities in addition to the special provision of over N1.2Billion to clear arrears of gratuities up to 2014.
“Efforts are also underway to settle arrears of year 2015 gratuities in one fell swoop in the course of the current year.
“Of course, I consider this and the monthly steady payment of outstanding gratuities more meaningful than the unsustainable interim arrangement of N10,000 Wage Award to each pensioners”.
Gbenga Allen
May 2, 2024 at 1:56 pm
Is the State government not paying cash award of N35,000 to civil servants in addition to salary payment and wouldn’t they be paid gratuity on retirement?. Pensioners are more vulnerable to economic hardship considering their ages and low or stipend being paid as pension. Alot of Pensioners earn below N30, 000.
The Governor should reconsider it’s refusal to pay wage award to Pensioners. Majority of the Pensioners are facing one health challenge or the other. Some Pensioners have collected their gratuity before this worst economic situation and have expended same on sicknesses. The decision of the Governor not to pay palliative to Pensioners in addition to left out gratuity is not right where other States governors are paying 15k or more in addition to payment of gratuity to their Pensioners. My candid advise is that the Governor of Ondo State should avoid hurting the Elder statemen who served the State meritoriously called (the arugbo’s).
In summary:
(1) Not all pensioners are benefiting from the payment of gratuity now
(2) Those States that are paying higher palliative and wage cash award to their pensioners are equally paying gratuities.
(3) Either we like it or not pensioners and their families will go out and vote during the forthcoming general election. I’m sure God will not allow hunger to kill us all before the time.
O ti Datiwa bayii ooo.