Ajimobi: Theft of pensioners’ N6.5b by Akala govt responsible for non payment of teachers

Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has said that the protest by a splinter group of pensioners in the state was uncalled for as the governor has held several meetings with them to tell them about the state government’s financial dilemma, especially aftermath the theft of N6.5 billion of pensioners’ money by some officials during the regime of Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala.
In a statement by the governor’s Special Adviser on Media, Dr Festus Adedayo, he revealed he had entered into an agreement with the parent bodies of the pensioners namely: Nigeria Union of Pensioners and the National Association of Retired Local Government Primary School Teachers, on the modalities for the settlement of pension arrears and gratuity in instalments, consequent upon the theft.
The statement said government had indeed started to pay the arrears to the retired primary school teachers.
The statement said that the Ajimobi administration puts the welfare of retirees on the front burner in the scheme of government fiscal policy, which informed the unprecedented implementation of the 142 per cent pension rise by the administration in 2011.
“Before this administration came on board, past governments had pointedly told the pensioners that no government would implement the arrears.
“The recent decoration of the governor as the most pensioner-friendly governor in the history of the state is not a fluke, but a gesture borne out of the appreciation of the governor’s kindred spirit as far as the matter of pensioners are concerned. Government said it implored this splinter group of pensioners to exercise patience and align with their parent bodies on the pending agreement.
“They should also appreciate the financial burden foisted on the country in general by the dwindling revenue allocation form the Federation Account, which has brought about the unfortunate situation ” said the statement.