Obey court order to pay N18,000 minimum – Osun pensioners urge Adeleke
By Ismail Azeez, Osogbo
Retired public servants under the Forum of 2011/2012 Retired Public Servants of Osun have called on Governor Ademola Adeleke to comply with a court order mandating the implementation of an N18,000 minimum wage for retirees.
The pensioners, who gathered on Ogo-Oluwa/Abere Road in Osogbo to press their demands, were prevented from staging their peaceful protest at the Abere Governor’s office by security personnel. However, the protesters remained undeterred.
Speaking in Osogbo, the group’s leader, Comrade Yemi Lawal, accused the state government of failing to honour the ruling delivered by the Industrial Court on October 5, 2017.
“This is not the first time we are protesting. Since 2014, we have been agitating for our entitlements to align with the N18,000 minimum wage. Unfortunately, the government has defied this by paying only N9,000,” Lawal stated.
He explained that despite winning their case in court, the government delayed action by filing an appeal in 2021, which was dismissed on February 7, 2024.
“We have made countless efforts to engage the government, written letters, organised press conferences, and contacted top officials, but there has been no response,” he lamented.
Lawal warned of potential unrest if the state government continues to ignore the court order.
“Governor Adeleke is a product of the judiciary. Why should he refuse to obey the court’s directive? If this continues, we may be forced to escalate our actions, but we still appeal for the peaceful resolution of this matter,” he said.
The group also criticised the recently announced payment of N25,000 to retirees, calling it inadequate.
“How much is N25,000 in today’s economy? It cannot even buy 10 litres of petrol or basic food items,” Lawal argued, adding that retirees receiving higher pensions would not benefit equitably from the blanket payment.
According to Lawal, the crux of their agitation lies in recalculating the difference between the N9,000 and N18,000 minimum wages and adjusting their terminal benefits accordingly. He emphasised that this adjustment would affect monthly pensions and gratuities, which have been overdue since 2013.
“Our demand is simple: the government should calculate and pay the difference between N9,000 and N18,000, which is long overdue. Until this is done, we will not stop our agitation,” he concluded.
The group also appealed to the Attorney General of the Federation and other stakeholders to intervene in ensuring the Osun State government complies with the court ruling.
Condemning the actions of the security personnel, Comrade Sola Olojede, the group’s secretary, expressed surprise at the denial of their constitutional right to protest. He said that despite the protest being a legal right, the security personnel had asked them to vacate the government secretariat, where the protest was scheduled to take place.
