The Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu-led Lagos Government has approved a 33% increment for pensioners in the state under the Defined Benefits Scheme (PAY AS YOU GO) with effect from January 1, 2020 and payment of a balance of 25 percent rent allowance for officers on GL 07 and above who had retired from May 2000 to August 2004.
In a meeting with the executive members of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP) Lagos State Chapter, the Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions, Ajibola Ponnle, affirmed that the increment will take effect from September 2020 and the arrears starting from January 2020, will be paid from September 2020, in bid to meet up with the harmonisation exercise for the pensioners.
Ponnle stated that Governor Sanwo-Olu, since his assumption of Office, has paid a total sum of 1.893Billion to pensioners under the Defined Benefit Scheme, adding that all monthly pensions are paid as at when due without exception, despite the shortfall in revenue accruable to the state government occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, at the South West leader’s Zonal meeting in Lagos, the pensioners expressed appreciation for the gesture of the state government.
NUP Chairman, Oluremi Johnson, described Sanwo-Olu as a pensioner-friendly governor and thanked him for the promise to address all Lagos state pensioners issues.
“We thank him for our monthly pensions being regularly paid and for the online verification exercise which was remarkably successful.”
He said they are expecting other good health programmes as approved by the governor for continuous progress concerning the pensioners.
“We express our sincere gratitude to the governor for the excellent feat achieved within the short period of agitation and we thank the Lagos State Chapter of the Nigerian Labour Congress, for the maximum support given to Lagos State NUP,” he said.
The NUP scribe also commended the Oyo State governor but called on the Ekiti, Ogun and Ondo States governors to come to the plight of pensioners.
