Ondo State Governor, Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, has flagged off the payment of N3.82 billion in gratuities to 985 retirees of the state public service, covering the 2020 retirement batch as well as outstanding beneficiaries from 2015 to 2019.
The governor performed the flag-off ceremony on Wednesday at the Cocoa Conference Centre, Governor’s Office, Alagbaka, Akure, describing the payment as a “debt of honour” to workers who devoted their productive years to the service of the state.
The beneficiaries comprise 509 retirees from the 2020 batch and 476 retirees from the 2015–2019 batches. They are drawn from the mainstream civil service, secondary school teaching and non-teaching staff, as well as various parastatals across the state.
Aiyedatiwa said his administration inherited billions of naira in outstanding gratuity obligations dating from 2015, but chose to confront the challenge rather than shy away from it.
“When our administration came to the saddle, we inherited billions of Naira in outstanding gratuity obligations covering the period from 2015 to date. We did not shy away from this burden. Rather, we confronted it with courage, responsibility and a clear understanding that governance is not only about initiating new projects; it is equally about confronting inherited challenges and resolving them,” he said.
The governor disclosed that his administration had successfully cleared outstanding gratuities for retirees from 2015 to 2019, describing the payment to the 2020 batch as another major step towards eliminating the backlog.
“Today, we are taking another giant step forward with the flag-off of payment to retirees of the year 2020,” he said, while giving glory to God for the opportunity to fulfil the obligation.
Aiyedatiwa said the payment was more than a financial intervention, stressing that it represented the administration’s appreciation of the sacrifices made by retired workers during their years of service.
“We remember your service; we respect your sacrifice; and we will not forget your entitlement,” the governor said.
In his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary of the Ondo State Pension Transition Office, Dr Peter Akingbade, said retirees from the 2015 Batch C, 2016 Batch C, 2017 Batch C, 2018 Batch B, 2019 Batch B and 2020 Batch A were being paid.
He disclosed that beneficiaries had started receiving bank alerts and would receive their full gratuity entitlements rather than partial payments.
According to Akingbade, the development would provide relief, restore dignity and give renewed hope to retirees who had waited for their entitlements.
He attributed the payment to the governor’s commitment to improving the welfare of senior citizens under the administration’s OUR EASE agenda.
Akingbade also commended the Commissioner for Finance, Mrs Omowunmi Isaac, for her contribution to the process, as well as the Head of Service, Sir Segun Odusanya, for his commitment to the welfare of retirees under the Defined Benefit Scheme.
He said the gratuity payment process remained continuous, urging retirees who were yet to undergo verification to come forward and complete their documentation.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mrs Nike Ogunbodede expressed appreciation to Governor Aiyedatiwa, describing the payment as a remarkable development.
The state chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Comrade Johnson Osunyemi, also commended the governor for the initiative, saying Ondo State was among the leading states in the country in clearing the backlog of gratuities owed to retired workers.