Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has urged the pensioners in the state to show understanding in demanding for the balance of their pension since they were also aware of the global economic recession and the financial situation of the state.
The governor said this while addressing members of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) at the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park in Osogbo, capital of Osun State, where they held special prayers in Islamic and Christianity ways at the weekend.
The NUP members under the aegis of Triangular Group of Pensioners offered prayers for Osun State and Nigeria and sought the intervention of God on the economic recession that has bedevilled the nation in which Osun state was not exempted.
Speaking on the occasion, Governor Aregbesola who was invited to the venue by the pensioners as a special guest expressed delight that a huge number of retirees in the state acknowledged his commitment to their welfare and assured them that the New Year would be better than last year.
“Just bear with us and show understanding for now. I can assure you that a better day has come. Our Pensioners would be well catered for. Their gratuities would be sorted out once there are resources to do so”.
The governor said, “We implemented 142 per cent increase in pension which other rich and buoyant states including Lagos have not implemented. No state government has paid as much as we have paid pensioners in Osun. I paid 9.5 billion to pensioners alone.”
“The workers and pensioners are on my priority lists, In fact, we made 12 billion in Osun in 2016 and I paid 20.4 b to workers and Pensioners alone. And that notwithstanding, we are working and there are infrastructural development in the state”.
“We are building schools and we are constructing roads across the state. We are doing our best within the available resources. Our opponents should stop playing dirty politics with this pension issue. I expect the pensioners to show understanding as our government remains committed to their welfare.”
“Surprisingly, some people said they set up IDP camp for pensioners. We shall never experience IDP in Osun. We will keep praying for states where there were IDP’s camps to overcome their problem because it is not a good thing to be displaced in one’s state, Aregbesola explained.
The factional NUP Chairman in the state, Prince Rotimi Adelugba said the pensioners on his side were grateful to Aregbesola for his magnanimity and cautioned other retired civil servants in the state not to play dirty politics with the issue of the payment of the pension by the state government.
He commended Aregbesola for paying the arrears of their pension up to December 2016. He said the pensioners are in full supports of the Aregbesola’s administration and assured the governor of their unalloyed loyalty.
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