'My Administration is owing only 4 years of unpaid pension' - Gov Oshiomhole

The governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole has said that his administration is owing only four years of unpaid pensions after settling pensioners' entitlements for 13 years.

Edo State Gov.  Adams Oshiomhole 

As he spoke to the State House correspondents in Abuja on Thursday, he said that he was not leaving behind a huge liability for his successor. This was in opposition to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo who alleged that the present administration’s failure to pay pensioners’ arrears might cripple the incoming administration in the state.

"So, you find a pension bill of 13 years, arrears of gratuity and pension not paid by PDP government including the 7,000 people they dismissed.

"Now when I assumed duties at the end of 2008, I had two options. On the one hand, I had this temptation to say ok I would be paying those who retired during my tenure.

"But then, as a former labour leader, I asked myself that if an employer was so callous to carry out massive retrenchment of workers as the PDP did by sacking 7,000 and all the permanent secretaries and did not pay them gratuity, is it the fault of those workers?

"And so, I accepted the fact that government is a continuum. And so whatever they didn’t do, I will have to try to do.

"So, as we speak today, we have paid pension in 1998 and all those who pensioned in 1999, all the ones they dismissed in 2000 and those who retired from 2001, 2002, 2003 up to 2011.

"So, I have paid pension arrears of 13 years even though I have been in government for only seven years plus.’’

Governor Oshiomhole promised that his administration would settle part of the outstanding four years pensions before handing over power to a new government.