TheCable

Dapo Abiodun, governor of Ogun, has paid a total sum of N500 million to offset arrears of gratuity to 257 state and local government retirees.

Presenting cheques to the retirees on Wednesday in Abeokuta, the state capital, the governor said his administration was committed to fulfilling its promises to all the workers of the state.

Noting that most of the payments were inherited liabilities from the past government, he assured that the process of paying the gratuities have started and will definitely continue on a quarterly basis.

Abiodun said that apart from the payment of monetary entitlements, his government was committed to providing other opportunities for the retirees under the state’s social welfare scheme.

“I enjoin our dear elders to take advantage of our administration’s various social intervention programmes. For those of you who are into micro and small businesses, you can key into Oko-Owo Dapo, a micro credit scheme that provides a window for women to access financial resources. It empowers our people to expand their micro and small businesses,” he said.

“In the same vein, in partnership with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), we have inaugurated the anchor borrowers scheme on agriculture. Under this scheme, our people, including our pensioners, could turn to agric entrepreneurship as a way of life and living. Under the scheme, participants will be provided with land, which will be cleared for them, improved seedling and other extension services.

“In addition, off takers, that is, the anchors, will be sourced for their produce at agreed prices that are known to all at the time of planting, thereby guaranteeing price stability and adequate reward for effort. In fact, CBN will pay stipends to the farmers pending the harvest and sale of their produce”.

On his part, Waheed Oloyede, state chairman, Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), charged the governor to increase the quarterly payment of gratuities from N500 million to N1 billion.