How Oyebanji Won the Hearts of Ekiti Pensioners.

How Oyebanji Won the Hearts of Ekiti Pensioners.

By Raheem Akingbolu

With the recent disbursement of N1 billion in gratuities to Ekiti state pensioners, the mood in the  Land of Honour is fast changing as the beneficiaries and their families are rededicating their loyalty to Governor Biodun Oyebanji. Raheem Akingbolu reports.

In Nigeria, words like salary, pension and gratuity evoke strong feelings in the mind of members of the public and they send jitters to the inner marrow of governors. Oftentimes, the country witnesses protests over non-payment of either salaries or gratuities, with governors resorting to blame game or attributing the failure to lean resources.

Under Governor Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State, the reverse has been the case since he assumed office on October 16, 2022.

In the build up to the election that produced Oyebanji, there were varied feedback on the stand of the members of the Ekiti State chapter of Nigeria Union of Pensioners.

While some sources claimed the retirees had vowed not to support the APC candidate, it was also confirmed that a large number among them wanted to give Oyebanji a benefit of the doubt because of his background as a son of one of them who should know where the shoe pinches.

Meanwhile, in his humble manner, Oyebanji kept on pushing while the electioneering campaign was ongoing, by assuring them of his readiness, not only to clear the backlog of their monthly stipends but to give their affair the priority it deserved. From time to time, the governor was also said to have reminded the pensioners and civil servants in the state of his humble background as son of retired teachers and that his education was financed by salaries and deductions like an average child of a civil servant.

True to type, immediately he took over the mantle of leadership, Oyebanji swung into action by distributing gratuity cheques of 130 million naira to retired Local Government workers and Primary School Teachers in the state  restating his administration’s commitment to prioritising  welfare of workers and pensioners in the State. This according to the Governor was in fulfilment of his campaign promises to pensioners in the state.

Later he instructed the State Ministry of Finance to commit N100 million monthly to service outstanding gratuities payment. The amount was recently increased to N200 million monthly. This, he said,  would go while a committee ( comprising of government officials and some executive members of NUP) set up by the Governor would come up with a creative way to offset the outstanding gratuities once and for all.

The other leg of the Governor’s intervention in the plight of the pensioners was his directive that pensions must be paid same time salaries of workers are paid. So, Ekiti pensioners had since 2022 been receiving their monthly pensions same time the state workers receive their monthly salaries.

According to him, the intervention is aimed at providing financial support and recognition to those who have dedicated a significant portion of their lives to public service and education.

Today, Oyebanji’s administration can be attested to be the most worker-friendly administration in the current dispensation in the country. The question that therefore leaves one hazy is how the Governor has been able to live up to expectation when it comes to payment of salaries and still able to attend to capital projects here and there.

Few weeks ago, the Governor did the unexpected when he disbursed N1 billion in gratuities to another batch of 450 state pensioners. The event which was designed as a brief ceremony was turned into a carnival by the pensioners who trooped to the venue in their large number with banners bearing appreciation messages.

The Governor assured the audience at the cheque presentation event held at Jibowu Hall, Government House in Ado Ekiti that his administration would implement the new minimum wage once President Bola Tinubu signs the bill into law, noting that pensioners will also benefit from the minimum wage as well.

Oyebanji disclosed that over N12 billion and N2.3 billion have been paid as pensions and gratuities, respectively, to pensioners in the state since he assumed office in 2022.

The Governor said his administration would continue to prioritise the welfare of senior citizens who had served the state diligently and meritoriously. He said this was his way of appreciating their service to humanity and the growth of the state.

He reiterated his administration’s commitment to defraying all outstanding gratuity arrears in the state, assuring the people that his government is working hard to ensure that gratuity arrears become a thing of the past. Government, he said, intends to achieve the goal of a “pay-as-you-go” basis.

The Governor urged public servants in the state to key into the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) recently introduced, which guarantees a more seamless and quicker payment of gratuities.

“As elder statesmen, your welfare is always a priority to this administration, and that is why your monthly pension has been on the first-line charge. I am proud to say that we have paid, in total, the sum of N12,569,562,240.00 in pensions since we assumed office.

“Similarly, this administration has paid a cumulative sum of N2.3 billion as gratuities to our retired senior citizens. This is apart from the gratuity already paid to local government retirees. Today, in this batch, we are paying out a total sum of N1 billion, while continuing with the monthly gratuity payment of N200 million to both state and local government pensioners.”

Speaking at the event, the Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Folakemi Olomojobi, commended the governor for paying the substantial sum as gratuities to the pensioners, describing the act as unprecedented.

In their separate remarks, the Chairmen of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP), Ekiti State Chapter, Elder Joel Akinola; the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Kolapo Olatunde; the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Sola Adigun; and the Joint Negotiation Council (JNC), Comrade Femi Ajoloko, expressed their gratitude to the governor for prioritising the welfare of the pensioners and the entire workforce in the state

Meanwhile, the governor has said what he did was not unusual and that the ultimate objective of his administration is to completely liquidate all gratuity arrears in a short time. He has also promised to ensure that retirees are not left out in the payment of wage awards to Ekiti government workers.