…Says N25bn spent in clearing arrears of pensioners
By Hillary Asemota
The Edo State Government has commenced the payment of pension arrears owed retired Local Government workers between 1984 and 2021.
Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Mr. Monday Osaigbovo, made this known in a signed statement even though he added that the payment will be in batches.
According to him, the payment is in furtherance of the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led Administration’s commitment to the welfare of workers and retirees in the state.
Osaigbovo noted: “In line with the Government promise in our earlier letter dated 20th January 2023 (LGSPB/469/T1/91), the Local Government Staff Pensions Board has started the payment in batches of the huge pension arrears owed to her retired Local Government workers in the state between 1984 and 2021.”
The government’s commitment to the retirees is in line with the ongoing revamp of the state’s civil and public service, engendering responsive and technology-driven service delivery and governance models, thereby impacting greatly on the lives and productivity of the state’s public workers.
The Governor Obaseki-led state government has expended over N25 bllion in clearing the pension arrears of pensioners in the state, he added.
Osaigbovo, explained further that the state government has also implemented the Contributory Pension Scheme, as against the Derived Benefits Scheme.
This, he added is to ensure that civil servants are well-catered for after their active years in service. The state has further initiated a Group Life Insurance Policy for its civil servants and has paid over N500m to families of deceased civil servants.
