...says 350 hectares acquired under sites and services schemes for workers
Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has stated that his administration has so far expended N179.7 billion in settling pensions and gratuities for state and local government retirees since its inception in 2019.
Governor Abiodun, who disclosed this at the 2025 Workers' Day Celebration held at the Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta, said the backlog of pensions from 2012 to 2017 had been cleared, just as the backlog of National Housing Scheme remittances has also been cleared to ensure easy access to mortgage loans.
According to the governor, about 12,500 workers have benefited from car and motorcycle loans, which his administration has increased to the tune of N1.6 billion.
He said: "As a worker-friendly administration, we have made deliberate efforts to deepen our partnership with labor to improve working conditions and enhance the welfare of our workers across the state.
"This administration, since its inception in 2019, has cleared the pension backlog, and pensions are now paid alongside salaries. We have paid for the period from 2012 to 2017.
"A total of N179.7 billion has been disbursed as pensions and gratuities to both state and local government pensioners. The backlog of National Housing Scheme remittances has been cleared, easing access to mortgage loans.
"We have increased car and motorcycle loans to the tune of N1.6 billion, disbursed to about 12,500 beneficiaries."
He said N8 billion was used to provide palliatives to state workers and pensioners between July 2023 and March 2024 to cushion the effects of subsidy removal on fuel.
Prince Abiodun also disclosed that 350 hectares of land at Ijemo/Onisela has been acquired and launched under a Sites and Services Scheme to support the aspirations of workers in the state to become property owners through mortgages.
To be named the Prince Dapo Abiodun Bureaucrats Estate, the governor said that the Sites and Services Scheme is a government initiative that provides essential infrastructure like roads, water, and electricity to an area, allowing individuals or businesses to develop properties at a lower cost.
Abiodun appreciated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his efforts in repositioning the nation's economy as well as galvanizing the workers for optimal productivity, acknowledging that with the various reforms of the federal government, inflation and prices of goods are gradually going down while the economy is picking up.
The governor noted that the cooperation between the state government and the workers has positioned the state as a beacon of innovation, enterprise, and human capital development, placing the state on the path of sustainable development.
"With your support and cooperation, our administration has fully deployed available resources, culminating in a conducive business environment that has attracted and encouraged both local and foreign investors to strengthen our economy," he said.
The governor urged the state workforce to continue discharging their duties diligently by playing their part in helping the government revive the challenged economy as well as supporting the provision of infrastructure in all the urban and rural areas of the state.
The government, Governor Abiodun noted, is not oblivious to the hard realities on the ground brought about by economic challenges, saying that the government is working towards addressing them.
While describing the workers as the driving force for the socio-economic development of the state, he commended the workforce and their leadership for maintaining industrial harmony, which has contributed to the development witnessed in the state.
In his opening remarks, the Federal Controller of Labour, Ogun State, Mr. Andy Egbor, stated that workers have contributed to the nation's progress and appreciated those who championed better working conditions for workers.
Ogun's approach to workers' welfare, according to the federal controller, is a good example for others to follow, calling for collaboration with the federal government for improved welfare for the workers.
State Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Hameed Benco, noted that the current economic challenges have not only threatened welfare but also job security, calling on governments to build low-cost housing, establish a market pricing regulatory board to regulate the prices of goods, and provide interest-free loans to workers as part of efforts to lessen the hardship.
Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Akeem Lasisi, described the celebration as a struggle against oppression as workers are going through economic hardship, calling on the government to address insecurity caused by the activities of Boko Haram, banditry, kidnappers, and herdsmen.
While appreciating the state government for its various intervention programs, including the payment of workers' deductions, improved car refurbishment loans, Christmas bonuses, the sale of food items at reduced prices, and the conduct of 2023 and 2024 promotion exercises, he commended the governor for the prompt payment of pensions to state retirees.
