ODSG Pays N81m Pension Arrears to Retired Teachers

It was a day of tears of joy, emotion and undescribable shouts of 'Thank You

Mimiko, God bless your government' as Ondo State government yesterday

paid over N81 million seven months pension arrears owed 1,576 retired primary school teachers in the state since 2003.

This came barely a year after the Dr Olusegun Mimiko led Government

gave out a whopping N1.4billion as pension arrears to retired

pensioners in the State in one fell swoop.
Presenting the money to the beneficiaries at the Akure South Local government

secretariat , the State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, who was

represented by the Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr

Akin Adaramola, disclosed that all the beneficiaries would get all their

entitlementsduring the two-day payment period.
According to him, the money was outstanding as a result of 142 per cent pension

increase granted to all pensioners across the country by the federal government

which was approved by the state government.
He confirmed that the immediate past administration then paid part of the money

and abandoned seven months unpaid, adding that after the payment of

N1.4 billionto retired local government staff and primary school teachers last year, the

affected pensioners petitioned the state governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko demanding

the payment of the arrears.
He added that immediately after the Local government Pension Board verified and

confirmed the pension arrears, the state government released the money for

onward payment to the affected pensioners.
Adaramola said investment on the people is a worthwhile investment because as a

government that is noted for caring heart policies, it cannot ignore those that

have spent their productive years in the service of the state.

'The priority of our administration is to implement programmes and

policies thatwill have direct impact on the lives of majority of the citizens of the state.

Pension and gratuity to retired civil servants are their rights and not

privilege, therefore, we cannot allow them to suffer after they have

contributed
their quota to the growth amd development of the state' he explained

In his remarks, the leader of the pensioners, Mr Jacob Amudipe appreciated the

state government for the payment of the arrears which he said will go

a long way in alleviating their predicament.