This is as the Assembly asked the state government to embark on a screening exercise of the state pensioners so as to checkmate ghost pensioners.
These resolutions were drawn from a motion entitled, “A Passionate Appeal to Senator Abiola Ajimobi for the Payment of Oyo State Pensioners’ Entitlements” by the member representing Ona-Ara constituency, Honourable Buniamin Azeez, on Tuesday’s plenary.
Though Azeez noted that the Ajimobi’s government, during its first tenure, saw to unpaid pension arrears, he lamented that pensioners, in recent times, had sad tales due to arrears of pensions and gratuities.
He, however, remarked that dwindling federal allocation must be responsible for the challenges being faced in payment of pensions regularly.
Noting a recent protest by pensioners over accumulation of pension arrears, Speaker of the Assembly, Honourable Micheal Adeyemo decried that retired primary school teachers and local government workers were worst hit.
Commenting, Chairman, Parliamentary Caucus, Honourable Segun Ajanaku pointed to recent assurances of Ajimobi that some of the Paris Club refunds would be committed to the payment of pension arrears.
Drawing from the screening exercise of pensioners with federal shares through the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate, the Assembly further prayed that similar exercise is conducted in the state to fish out pensioners wrongly on the payroll.
The House Committee on Establishment and Labour Productivity were thus mandated to meet with Head of Service, Permanent Secretary and Commissioner, Ministry of Finance and Budget; State and Local Government Pension Board; Chairman and Secretary, the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) on the issues.