Economy

Kwara Govt Halts Pensions of 6,437 Retirees

By Web News 565

The Kwara State Government has said that it has temporarily suspended the payment of monthly salary pension to 6,437 retired workers in the state with effect from July 2022 following their inability to complete a verification exercise organised for pensioners in the state.

The government, in a press statement titled “Kwara State Government Receives Interim Report On Pensioners’ Verification,” issued in Ilorin on Saturday, said that the retirees failed to submit their documents to a screening committee constituted for the exercise.

In the statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary in the office of the state Head of Service, Murtala Atoyebi, the government said that out of a total of 16,368 pensioners in the state, only 9,931 pensioners were verified by the committee.   

It said, “The Kwara State Government has received an interim report on the verification exercise on the state pensioners. 

“The state government contracted a financial consortium in December last year to carry out a verification exercise on the state pensioners as a result of the precarious challenges inhibiting  the smooth payment of pensioners’ entitlement. 

“Consequently,  the government has directed the Office of the State Accountant General to suspend forthwith, payment to the affected pensioners effective from this month (July) until they are cleared. 

“The government advised all those with anomalies in their documentation to immediately clear such with the consultant while those that failed to appear for the verification exercise should go to the Staff Development College, Ilorin for screening, commencing from Monday, August 1, 2022,” the statement said.

Punch/Simeon Ugbodvon

Economy

Gov Oyetola Releases N1.6 billion for Pension Payment

By Web News 418

Governor Adegboyega Oyetola of Osun State has released the sum of N1.6 billion for the payment of pensions to retirees in the state.

Osun government confirmed the release of the fund through a statement from the office of the Head of Service and made it available to newsmen.

The money is for the payment of pension rights for the month of June 2022, to retired workers under the old Pension Scheme, retired Primary School teachers and Local Government staff on Contributory Pensions Scheme, and retired civil servants in Ministries and Agencies of government.

The statement read in part: “Apart from paying the sum of Seven Hundred and Fifty-Two Million (N752,000,000) as monthly pension to all retired workers under the old Pensions Scheme, the Governor, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola, has released another sum of Five Hundred and Sixteen Million, One Hundred and Eighty-Six Thousand Naira (N516,186,000) for the payment of pension bonds to retired Primary School teachers and Local Government staff on Contributory Pensions Scheme, and a sum of Three Hundred Million (N300,000,000) to retired civil servants in Ministries and Agencies of Government, totalling Eight Hundred and Sixteen Million, One Hundred and Eighty-Six Naira only (N816,000,000). 

“The total amount released for pensions in the month of June  2022 is One Billion, Six Hundred and Thirty-Eight Million, One Hundred and Eighty-Six Naira only (N1,638,186,000). 

“The list of beneficiaries are posted on the Notice Boards of the Local Government Pensions Bureau, Civil Service Bureau Office of the Head of Service, and the Ministry of Information and Civic Orientation. 

“As part of his unflinching love for all the workers of the State, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola has directed further that payment should start on Thursday, 14th July 2022. 

“All workers of the State, both serving and retired, are assured by Governor Adegboyega Oyetola of continuous priority of their welfare in the scheme of things in the State”, the statement read.

Adenitan Akinola