Ekiti Disburses N500m To Pensioners, Oyebanji Urges Public Servants To Await Subsidy Fallout

By Ayodele Oni

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji has told public servants in the state to be patient as his administration is still working on reasonable amount to cushion the effect of subsidy withdrawal on petroleum.

Some States have commenced the implementation of palliatives between payment of N25,000 and N30,000 to workers, as well as provision of transport facilities to convey workers to and from work.

In Ekiti State, Government has made provision for buses to convey the workers while bags of rice were also distributed to them and other groups.

Governor Oyebanji said on Thursday that his government was already working out a scenario where workers would be taking care of to cushion the effect of subsidy removal on them, but would not rush to give a figure government would not be able to sustain.

He pleaded with the citizens of the state to be patient with his administration as government is also working out formalities that would  take care of those in informal sector of the economy as he assured all of good policies, interventions and infrastructural development that would enable government perform its responsibility to all without prejudice.

“Also on what the labour leaders refer to as wage award, I will not rush and promise you something that I will start and I won’t be able to sustain.

“If I want applause, I can award too and when it is no longer sustainable, we start dragging it, that is not my style because I promised to deal with you in truth.

“So, we are looking at the numbers, they’re working out the scenarios, and whatever we promise we are going to do for you sure it is something that we can carry. I don’t want to do something I will stop mid-way.”

Governor Oyebanji stated this on while presenting cheques worth N500 million  to about 140 benefiting retired state pensioners in Ado- Ekiti.

He assured pensioners in the State that his administration would not relent in the drive to clear the backlog of gratuities  in order to guarantee their welfare at their old age.

The Governor added that Government was not unaware of the hardship caused by the subsidy removal on the senior citizens, who had served the State meritoriously for the better part of their lives, assuring that government would always look for avenues to cushion the effect of the economic situation.

While disclosing that efforts were in top gear to work our modalities on how to clear the backlog of all gratuity arrears, Governor Oyebanji said his administration would also consider the demand for monthly payment of gratuity to Pensioners.

“On all outstanding issues, we are working so hard to ensure that we crack those nuts, I’m aware of all the arrears of pensions and check-off dues and a lot of things that are still due to our people.

“Our intention is to come to a point where we reach appreciable number of the pensioners, and you know that a committee has been put in place and very soon discussion will be concluded on it.

“We are trying to get the best deal for our people. What will gladden my heart is to sit down and see that we are doing N20 Billion and it feasible, it will get to a larger number.”

The Head of Service, Sunday Komolafe commended the Governor in the drive to ensure careful implementation of his administration’s cardinal programmes and policies to impact positively on the lives of the people, saying the various disbursement he had done for pensioners in the state laid credence to his resolve to make life meaningful and worthwhile for the people.

Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC) Kolapo Olatunde, and his counterpart from the Trade Union Congress,  (TUC) Sola Adigun, opined that the narratives had changed concerning the issues of pension and gratuity payment in the state since the inception of the present administration.