The Ondo State Government has commenced the payment of N3.82 billion in gratuities to 985 retired workers as part of efforts to clear outstanding retirement benefits inherited by the administration of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
The payment covers 509 retirees from the 2020 batch and 476 beneficiaries with outstanding entitlements from the 2015 to 2019 batches.
Beneficiaries include retirees from the mainstream civil service, secondary school teaching and non-teaching services, as well as various government parastatals across the state.
Aiyedatiwa flagged off the payment on Wednesday at the Cocoa Conference Centre, Governor’s Office, Alagbaka, Akure, describing the intervention as a “debt of honour being discharged” to workers who devoted their productive years to public service.
The governor said his administration inherited billions of naira in unpaid gratuities covering several years but decided to confront the obligation rather than allow the backlog to persist.
“When our administration came to the saddle, we inherited billions of naira in outstanding gratuity obligations covering the period from 2015 to date. We did not shy away from this burden. Rather, we confronted it with courage, responsibility and a clear understanding that governance is not only about initiating new projects; it is equally about confronting inherited challenges and resolving them,” Aiyedatiwa said.
He noted that the government had already paid outstanding gratuities for retirees covering the 2015 to 2019 period, describing the commencement of payments to the 2020 batch as another milestone in the administration’s effort to eliminate the backlog.
“Today, we are taking another giant step forward with the flag-off of payment to retirees of the year 2020. We give all glory to Almighty God for the grace and enablement to fulfil this important obligation,” he said.
Aiyedatiwa assured retirees that his administration would sustain efforts to clear inherited gratuity obligations before the end of his tenure.
He said the intervention was not merely a financial measure but also a demonstration of the government’s recognition of the sacrifices made by retired workers during their years of service.
“We remember your service; we respect your sacrifice; and we will not forget your entitlement,” the governor declared.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Ondo State Pension Transition Office, Dr Peter Akingbade, said the latest payment covered beneficiaries from the 2015 Batch C, 2016 Batch C, 2017 Batch C, 2018 Batch B, 2019 Batch B and 2020 Batch A.
Akingbade disclosed that some beneficiaries had already begun receiving bank alerts, assuring retirees captured in the approved batches that they would receive their full gratuity entitlements.
He described the payment as a significant development capable of restoring relief, dignity and hope to retirees who had waited for years for their benefits.
According to him, the intervention was driven by the commitment of the Aiyedatiwa administration to the welfare of senior citizens under its OUR EASE agenda.
The permanent secretary commended the Commissioner for Finance, Mrs Omowunmi Isaac, for her contribution to the payment process and the Head of Service, Mr Segun Odusanya, for his commitment to retirees under the Defined Benefit Scheme.
Akingbade said the gratuity payment process remained ongoing and urged retirees who had yet to complete their verification and documentation to regularise their records.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mrs Nike Ogunbodede thanked the governor for the intervention, saying the payment would provide significant relief to retirees who had waited for years for their entitlements.
The Ondo State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Comrade Johnson Osunyemi, also commended Aiyedatiwa for commencing the payment.
Osunyemi said Ondo State had emerged as one of the leading states in Nigeria in efforts to reduce the backlog of gratuities owed to retired workers.
He, however, urged the state government to sustain the initiative until all outstanding beneficiaries receive their entitlements.
