We’re dying of hunger, Oyo Pensioners beg Makinde
Pensioners under the umbrella of Oyo State 2002 Pensioners have persuaded the state Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, to consider their agitation over 13 years of unpaid pension of about 2000 civil servants that were retrenched by the late former governor of the state, Alhaji Lam Adesina, appealing that they are dying of hunger on a daily basis.
This appeal was made in Ibadan, on Wednesday, during their save our soul visitation to the Yoruba monarch, Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun, Alli Okunmade II.
The Chairman and Secretary of the group, Alhaji Mustapha Bamgbade and Comrade Olu Afolabi who led the group simultaneously lamented that more than half of the group had lost their lives because they had no money to take good care of themselves.
Bamgbade established that the group had no reason to condemn Governor Makinde who is has been taking full responsibilities in terms of pensioners’ welfare.
The chairman, however, appealed to the Olubadan to assist the group by intervening in the matter and engaging Makinde who was described as ‘kind-hearted and peace-loving’ to show mercy on them.
Bamgbade recalled that the late governor was wrongly advised to sack them in order to cut the cost of governance.
“Those that advised the governor on our sack refused to give him the details of the financial implication of such exercise and this led to our problem since then because, by the time the governor became aware of the financial effect of his action, it was too late to revert it.
”We kept on agitating for our pension payment since 2002 and not until 2015 when our prayers were answered and since then, we have been asking for the payment of our pension dues for 13 years, 2002-2015, which had since remained unpaid,” the chairman added.
While reacting, the traditional ruler appealed to the governor to consider the group.
Olubadan said ”We cannot blame the governor for the huge debt the successive administrations have been ignoring, but the government is a continuum and this places a huge moral burden on the governor and government of the state which the people served meritoriously to be called upon to look into it.”
Source: The Informant247 Naija News
