Gov. Adeleke presents N1.5bn bond certificates, disburses N350m gratuities to Osun retirees

Blessing Akorowosi, Osogbo

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, on Thursday presented bond certificates to retired workers in the state to the tune of N1.528bn.

The governor also released the sum of N350m as gratuities to retired workers of local governments, primary schools, secondary schools, tertiary institutions, civil servants and others in Osun.

Presenting the bond certificate to the retirees at the Local Government Service Commission hall in Abere, Osogbo, he reiterated his commitment to the welfare of both active and retired workers in the state.

He said, “Under the Contributory Pension Scheme, I ordered the release of a sum of N700m between November, 2022 and January, 2023 for bond certificates for retirees at the State level.

“For retirees at the Local Government level, I approved the sum of N828m for bond certificates for retirees in primary schools and local governments between November, 2022 and January, 2023.

“Today, 119 retirees cutting across the civil service, parastatals and tertiary institutions are being given their bond certificates totaling N632,952,655.56.

“For local government service, 62 retirees are to be given bond certificates totaling N205,428,602.07 while at the Primary School retirees totaling 92 will be given bond certificates totaling N621,819,731.03.”

Gov. Adeleke noted that his administration is focused and willing to offset all outstanding salaries and pensions of workers and pensioners in the State.

He stated that he has chosen the part of honour and decided to attend to the issue of half salary arrears.

“We are paying it and we will clear all outstanding based on our people-oriented template.  I am not doing you any favor.  I am only fulfilling the task you voted me to do. It is in that spirit that I am extending this attention to the contributory pensioners,” he said.

Earlier in his speech, the Head of service, Mr Leye Aina disclosed that the sum of N350million is now released monthly for the contributory pension scheme as against the former sum of N175million.

He added that the sum of N100million is now released as gratuity under the old pension scheme as against the previous N50million.

Aina stated that for the Local Government Service, a monthly sum of N400million has been approved for the CPS while N150million is released for the old pension scheme.

“The State Government has continued the regular payment of monthly pension at the State level in the range of N500million and in the range of N348 million at the local government level while the monthly remittances to the Pension Fund Administrators continue unabated,” he said.