Ogun workers demand dialogue with Governor Abiodun over pension dispute
Ogun workers demand dialogue with Governor Abiodun over pension dispute
On Tuesday, striking workers in Ogun State declared that they would not engage in dialogue with any government official except Governor Dapo Abiodun himself.
The workers commenced an indefinite strike that same day, protesting the non-remittance of N82 billion in contributory pension deductions accumulated over a 14-year period.
Speaking to journalists at the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat in Oke Ilewo, Abeokuta, labour leaders emphasized that the strike would persist until the governor personally convenes a meaningful meeting with union representatives.
They noted that previous discussions with other government officials had yielded no results, stressing that the matter at hand is critical to their welfare and survival.
Speaking during the press briefing, the state Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Hameed Ademola-Benco, supported by his Trade Union Congress counterpart, Comrade Akeem Lasisi and representative of the Joint Negotiating Council, stated that no amount of threat or intimidation would make them call off the strike except a concrete agreement with the governor was achieved.
Ademola-Benco said, “Yes we have been receiving calls from one government official, but I told my colleagues that we are not going to meet that person, he is our major problem.
“We want to meet only the governor, His Excellency, Dapo Abiodun. He is our employer.
We are not employees of the Secretary to the State Government, we are not employees of the Head of Service or the Chief of Staff or any commissioner.
“We are employees of Governor Abiodun. He is the one paying our salaries every month, and he is the one we want to sit with on this matter, not any other person.”
He said the contributory pension scheme was giving the workers sleepless nights, arguing that even if it was implemented, a worker who retired on the old pension scheme could be collecting over N300,000 monthly pension while someone who retired on the contributory pension scheme of the same level would be collecting N60,000 as monthly pension.
He said according to the 2013 amended pension law of Ogun State, the commencement of the scheme was slated for July 1, 2025, whereas the government had failed to remit over N82bn contributory pension deductions of the workers in over 14 years.
The NLC chairman also said the government had failed to pay workers’ leave allowances of over eight years, saying it had repeatedly reneged to fulfil several pledges on the huge outstanding running into several billions of naira.
Comrade Lasisi said the pension scheme which came into force in 2008 was designed to fail from the outset.
He said, “The administration of Governor Gbenga Daniel which started the scheme refused to pay some months, while only nine months was paid under Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s eight-year administration, with Governor Abiodun in the last six years also not paying a dime.”
He said, “We’ve held several meetings and sent numerous messages to the government, but there’s been no response, even as the future of the entire workforce continues to look uncertain.
“The way the contributory pension scheme is being managed has become a major source of distress for workers in the state.
“The government has set up various committees to implement the CPS, but has consistently failed to act on their recommendations.”
Lasisi explained that under the CPS law, 7.5 percent of a worker’s monthly emolument is to be deducted, with the employer – in this case, the state government – contributing an equal 7.5 percent. The total 15 percent is then to be remitted within seven days to the approved Pension Fund Administrators. However, he said Ogun State has failed to comply with this provision for over 14 years.
He reiterated that the workers are determined not to attend any meeting with government officials except Governor Abiodun himself, whom they believe is the only one capable of resolving the crisis.
