Retirees Protest Unpaid Entitlements in Osun

 

Retired civil servants in the employment of the Osun State Government on Tuesday trooped to the major streets of Osogbo, the state capital, to protest against the non-payment of 13 months arrears of pension and other outstanding debts owed by the state government.

The retirees, who carried placards with different inscriptions such as ‘EFCC should probe Aregbesola’; ‘Retirees are dying’; ‘Pension, Gratuity are our right’; ‘Pay us our entitlements’; Denying us our entitlements is an act of wickedness and callousness’, among others, said All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government has made life miserable for them.

The Chairman of Forum of 2011/2012 Pensioners, Mr. Yemi Lawal, declared that Osun State retirees were the most traumatised in the country.

Lawal lamented that the state Governor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, abandoned their problems, allowing pensioners to continue to live in penury, saying it was unfortunate that they were suffering for what they have laboured for after meritoriously serving the state for many years.

Urging the governor to use the sum of N6.3 billion Paris Club fund he received recently from the federal government to offsets their arrears, Lawal noted that it would be out place for the governor to divert such money meant for the payment of arrears of pensioners and other outstanding debts owed by the government.

He said: "Recently, the federal government released another tranche of Paris Club fund with a sum of N6.3bilion to Oyetola to offset salaries and pension arrears.

“It is quite unfortunate that the state government has diverted the money to other frivolous things.”

Lawal further alleged that out of the Paris Club fund, the state government has released huge amount of money with which they compensated the immediate past members the state House of Assembly.

According to him, the  sum of N6 million was given to each member of the state assembly who left the office about three weeks ago while N3.3 million was also given to the newly inaugurated members of the assembly each as wardrobe allowance.

 "Many of our children are out of schools because we are unable to pay their school fee, and so we are suffering the pathetic situation because the state government refused to release the counterpart fee till date.