Oyo State Government pays more than ₦1 billion every month on pensioners’ gratuities.
The Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, said that pensioners in the State earn more than any other State in the Federation.
According to him, Governor Seyi Makinde has been paying pension and gratuity without default since 2019.
He said, “Pensioners in Oyo State are the envy of their colleagues in all other States of the Federation, not only because they get equal welfare attention as active civil servants do from the Governor but also because their pension and wages rise commensurately with those of active Government workers.”
The Commissioner said that Governor Makinde has factored into their pension, the 33% increment which was supposed to have been implemented since 2010 and has also added the 2019 consequential adjustment which excluded pensioners at the time.
As at today, the Commissioner said, no pensioner in Oyo State earns less than ₦25,000.
Some of them were earning as little as ₦1,000 or less during the past administrations.
What is more, their payments are not delayed for months as was the tradition before 2019; indeed, they are paid on the same day with the over 130,000 Government workers.
Prince Oyelade recalled that in September last year, the Federal Bureau of Statistics, NBC, a Federal Government agency, categorised Oyo State as the most workers friendly State.
He said, “as we speak, Governor Makinde has committed up to ₦1 billion monthly to offset the backlog of gratuities and has reduced the deficit of previous administrations from 2008 to 2016.
“The Governor earmarked ₦500 million on monthly basis to settle the gratuities owed by previous administration and another ₦500 million for the gratuity of those who retired during his own administration, starting from 2019.
“As a matter of fact, Governor Makinde’s era brought a total end to the payment of 30% pension which pensioners have had to endure under previous administration.”
The Commissioner added that all things being equal, the Governor will clear the backlog of gratuity of previous administrations which ran into over ₦200 billion before the end of his tenure.
