From Clement Adeyi, Osogbo
Pensioners, under the aegis of Forum of Contributory Pensioners in Osun State, have appealed to Governor Rauf Aregbesola to pay their pensions arrears.
They made the appeal in Osogbo, the state capital, yesterday, in a release jointly signed by the teaching and civil service coordinators, Samuel Adeosun and Gbadebo Adegboye.
The pensioners, who lamented they over hunger and starvation, said they had forwarded about 15 letters to the government, appealing to it to pay their pension arrears, but to no avail.
“We observe that the contributory pensioners being deprived of their retirement benefits are now suffering unimaginable degrees and dimensions of abject poverty.
“Arising from this unwholesome situations, our prayers and humble appeal are that the state government of Osun should put sufficient funds into the scheme, being the shortfall of the state government’s counterpart funding, to cater for the contributory pensioners.
“This gesture by the government will, undoubtedly, rescue us, the contributory pensioners, and our dependants from poverty, suffering and current life of deprivations, want and penury,” they said.
The pensioners also appealed to the government to consider the release of Bond Certificates to the Pension Funds Administration (PFAs) of the contributory retirees who had completed processing their retirement papers since January 2015 till date.
They called on the government to also consider the payment of accrued interests on the monthly contributory pension deductions from October to December 2014, which were remitted in July 2017 and remittance of monthly deductions since January 2015 till date with the attendant interests.