…As Governor issues N2.9bn pension bond
By Ismail Azeez, Osogbo
Osun state Governor, Ademola Adeleke has assured residents of the state to sustain the progress of the state, saying he will continue to give priority to the welfare of workers in the state.
Adeleke gave the assurance after Osun workers conferred the award of “The most humane Governor of the Year” on him on Thursday, at the governor office, Abere.
The Governor stated that the present administration under his watch remains pro-people, pro-worker and pro-development.
According to the Governor, “We will continue to combine welfare of the people and workers with state of the art infra upgrades of our dear state.
“Osun is targeted to be a Singapore of Nigeria.”
He said the government has further approved the release of another tranche of bonds totaling Two Billion, Nine Hundred and Twenty Five Million, Three Hundred and Thirty Two Thousand, Eight Hundred and Thirty Five kobo.
Adeleke said, “Today, I am again deeply overwhelmed by the show of love and support from great Osun workers and retirees. The outpouring of affection for me and my team has further rekindled my faith in our five point agenda for which workers’ welfare is number one.
“Some months ago, the Nigeria Union of Pensioners conferred on me the award of the most workers’ friendly governor. I was told that was the first time the union would grant such honour to a serving Governor. Here we are today again with the entire workforce of the public service acknowledging our modest contributions to the development of our dear state.
“The positive testimonies from the various unions and labour leaders attested to the correctness of our original thinking when running for the state governorship. We had analysed the political space and concluded then that the smartest way to grow Osun is workers welfare. We accept and adopt the reality that human capital is a strong foundation for integrated development of the state.
“We had also spotted the nexus between formal and informal workers in the state. Easing the challenges of the public service has the tendency to uplift the economic well being of the informal sector. These analyses were responsible for placing workers’ welfare as number one priority in our governance agenda.
“We are vindicated today as the workforce has validated our approach to governance. This vindication has challenged our team to remain focussed and engaged in our relentless drive for new life for our people. I long to expand our capacity to meet the needs of the people, to deploy human development as a tool for societal transformation. We will further innovate as a government to meet workers at the point of their needs.
“I therefore humbly accept this award as ‘The Most Humane Governor of the Year.’ Dear workers and stakeholders, I cherish this honour done to me and my team. You have further fired our existing strong interest in welfare issues for both serving and retired members of the workforce.
“It is in this direction that I have further approved the release of another tranche of bonds totaling Two Billion, Nine Hundred and Twenty Five Million, Three Hundred and Thirty Two Thousand, Eight Hundred and Thirty Five kobo (N2,925,332,835.75).
“Permit me to list the government commitment on Pension and Gratuities from inception to November, 2023 as follows:
“(A) STATE LEVEL (Civil Servants, Parastatals, Tertiary Institutions, UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital) Retirees)
Contributory Pension Scheme ( Seven Billion, Four Hundred and Forty Four Million, Eight Hundred and Fifty One Thousand, Six Hundred and Eighteen Kobo ( 7,444,851,618.16)
“Gratuities- One Billion, Two Hundred Million Naira Only (1,200.000.000.00).
Monthly Pension- Five Billion, Nine Hundred and Ninety Six Million, Thirty Five Thousand Naira, Seven Hundred and Eleven Kobo (5,996,035,711.00)
“This bring state’s total to Fourteen Billion, Six Hundred and Forty Million, Eight Hundred and Eighty Seven Thousand, Three Hundred and Thirty Kobo (14,640,887,330.15).
“(B) LOCAL GOVERNMENTS (Local Governments and Primary Schools’ Retirees) Contributory Pension Scheme is Seven Billion, Three Hundred and Eighty Four Million, One Hundred and Seventy Eight Thousand, Sixteen kobo( 7,384,178,016.83).
“Gratuities- One Billion , Nine Hundred and Fifty Million Naira (1,950,000,000.00).
“Pension- Four Billion, One Hundred and Sixty Six Million, Six Hundred and Nine Thousand, One Hundred and Eighty Two kobo (4,166,609,182.61)
“Total for Local Government is Thirteen Billion, Five Hundred Million, Seven Hundred and Eighty SevenThousand, One Hundred and Ninety Kobo(13,500,787,199.44)
“I extend the same commendation to top management of the service as well as middle and lower level officers. I appreciate your commitment to duty and loyalty to our common agenda for societal prosperity,” Adeleke said.