Oyo pensioners drag Gov. Ajimobi to court over unpaid gratuities, pensions

The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Oyo state council has dragged the state governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi to the National Industrial Court over unpaid N42.3 billion in gratuities and pensions for retired Primary School Teachers and local government pensioners in the state. NUP’s state chairman, Mr. Gbadegesin Akande, disclosed this to Daily Trust in Ibadan, […]

The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Oyo state council has dragged the state governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi to the National Industrial Court over unpaid N42.3 billion in gratuities and pensions for retired Primary School Teachers and local government pensioners in the state.

NUP’s state chairman, Mr. Gbadegesin Akande, disclosed this to Daily Trust in Ibadan, Oyo state capital.

He said when former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala was leaving office on May 28, 2011, retired primary school teachers were owed only one month of pension and about N2.9billion in unpaid gratuities and pensions.

“At the change of baton with the present (Ajimobi-led) government, payment of gratuities, pensions and death benefits became such a serious issue such that the present administration alone owed the retired primary school teachers a whopping N27.5billion.

“This humongous figure showed that government did not pay attention to the payment of gratuities and pensions of retired primary school teachers between 2011 and 2018. During this period, retired primary school teachers were paid in percentages of 8, 10, 32, 50 etc of their pensions. Aside 5-56 months of unpaid pension, retired primary school teachers have just been paid June 2017 pensions.

“During Adebayo Alao-Akala’s regime, government owed the local government retirees N1.9 billion but during the administration of Senator Abiola Ajimobi, N10.1billion was owed local government pensioners. Like the case of retired primary school teachers, local government pensioners were not paid their pensions and gratuities as at when due,” he said.

Mr. Akande further added: “The wicked stance of not paying the retired primary school teachers and local government pensioners their entitlements from 2011 – 2018 by Senator Abiola Ajimobi’s government on an unsubstantiated allegation that they did not vote for him had raised the tally of government’s indebtedness to these two categories of pensioners a whopping N42.3 billion.

“In a related development, Oyo State government also owed another N26billion in gratuities and arrears of 6 percent and 15 percent to Oyo State pensioners and pensioners from tertiary institutions and parastatals.”

He however noted that the union had written uncountable number of letters and held several press conferences and protests to demand payment of pensions and gratuities from the state government but to no avail.

“To this effect, due to government’s insensitivity to the plight of retired primary school teachers and local government pensioners, our union has decided to take Oyo State Government to court over unpaid N42.3 billion in gratuities and pensions.

“Notices of the court action had been served Governor Abiola Ajimobi, the Attorney-General of the State; the Head of Service in the state; the Commissioners of Finance and Local Government and Chieftancy Matters; Chairman, Local Government Service Commission; and Accountant General of the state.”

He said the case has been fixed for Thursday, July 12 at the National Industrial Court in Ibadan.