Clement Adeyi, Osogbo
Osun State pensioners, on the platform of Forum of Contributory Pensioners, have lamented the non-payment of their retirement benefits by the state government.
They pleaded with government to do the needful and save beneficiaries from undue hardship.
Coordinators of the forum, Adeosun Adegbemiga and Adegboye Gbadebo, who addressed a joint press conference in Osogbo, yesterday, said the situation had plunged the pensioners into penury and hunger and have caused the untimely death of some of their members.
The pensioners comprise both primary school teaching and non-teaching retirees who left service in July 2015 as well as their secondary school counterparts, who left service from July 2016.
“Our prayers and appeals are that the state government under the leadership of the governor should graciously put sufficient funds into the scheme, being the shortfall of the state government’s counterpart funding to cater for the contributory pensioners.
“This kind gesture by the state government will no doubt rescue the pensioners and their dependants from further untimely deaths, terminal illness, poverty, suffering and present life of deprivations want and penury.
“We want the government to note that for more than three years, except for, very recently, this category of retirees have not received a dime.
“As human beings and Nigerians that have served their state and father land diligently, we are deservedly entitled to the fruits of our labour,” they said.
They also asked government to release bond certificate and their attendant cash to the contributory pensioners which had completed the processing of their retirement papers since June 2015 for final payment without further delay.
“To avoid any legal actions, the government should pay the accrued or penal fine of at least two percent on the money deducted from our salaries and the government counterpart fund which it failed to remit to our Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) because the state government has run foul of the Contributory Pension Law of Osun State as enacted by the parliament in 2008, reference, sub-section 5b, and 7 on pages 18 to 19.”