Retired civil servants in Osun State on Thursday staged a peaceful protest in Osogbo, voicing strong opposition to the possible return of former governor Rauf Aregbesola and his political party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), to power in the state.
The protesters, drawn from the 2011/2012 Retired Public Servants Association of Osun State and the Unbonded Contributory Scheme Pensioners, lamented what they described as over 13 years of unresolved pension and gratuity challenges since their retirement from service.
Carrying placards and chanting solidarity songs, the retirees demanded justice over alleged unpaid entitlements and mismanagement of contributory pension funds during the Aregbesola administration.
Addressing journalists after the demonstration, the chairman of the association, Comrade Omoniyi Ilesanmi, accused the former administration of implementing policies that, according to him, plunged workers and retirees into prolonged financial hardship.
“Our contributory pension funds were withdrawn without due process and not properly remitted to Pension Fund Administrators, leaving many beneficiaries in financial distress,” Ilesanmi alleged.
He warned that allowing the ADC to return to government in Osun could worsen the plight of civil servants and pensioners, insisting that residents and key stakeholders must remain vigilant ahead of future political developments in the state.
“We are calling on the people of Osun and all stakeholders to prevent ADC from coming back to power to avoid a repeat of what we experienced during that administration,” he said.
The retirees maintained that several policies introduced during the previous government had adverse effects on workers’ welfare and public service conditions.
They expressed concern that a political comeback by the former governor’s party could reverse what they described as improvements in the civil service environment in recent years.
The protest underscores lingering pension disputes in Osun State, a recurring issue that has shaped political discourse and electoral considerations in the state’s recent history.
As political alignments gradually take shape ahead of future elections, the grievances of retirees may once again become a critical factor in the state’s governance debate.