As part of efforts to improve the welfare of retirees, the Lagos State government has said it paid N4.25 billion accrued pension benefits to 1,268 retirees since the inception of the administration of its Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
The Commissioner, Establishment, Training and Pensions, Mrs Ajibola Ponnle, disclosed this at the Lagos State Pension Commission (LASPEC) 66th retirement benefits bond certificates presentation ceremony held recently in Lagos.
Ponle said that the state was paying N1.5 billion to 378 retirees at its 66th bond presentation while, N2.75 billion has been paid to 881 retirees in the last three months, making a total payment N4.25 billion .
She added that to ensure a comfortable life for retirees, the state had commenced the issuance of identification cards to retirees, which they would use to access free medical treatment in the state’s hospitals and ride on the state mass transit buses for free.
Speaking earlier, the Director-General, Lagos State Pension Commission, Folashade Onanuga, assured the retirees that the government’s interest in their welfare was dominant because the state governor, runs a people-oriented government and also sensitive to the needs of the people
She added that the accrued pension rights, the entitlements of the retirees under the discontinued ‘Pay-as-you-go pension scheme’ would be remitted into their Retirement Savings Accounts (RSA) from the mainstream service, local governments, and the teaching service commission.
The Head of Service, Hakeem Muri-Okunola, commending the state pension commission for its commitment to the successful implementation of the state government’s policy objectives towards realising a seamless pension administration system in the state said, “The high premium that the state government places on the welfare of its members of staff, serving and retired public servants, is a conscious and deliberate policy which underlines its recognition and appreciation of the crucial contributions of its workforce to its widely acknowledged leadership position and status as the centre of excellence.”