http://www.osundefender.org/?p=60343

Oyo State governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi , has approved the immediate placement of primary school teachers, who retired from July 2011 till date, on pension payroll. The governor also directed the payment of 50 per cent of their monthly pension allowance effective November 2012.

It will be recalled that the over 7,000 affected retirees who left service from July 2011 till date have not been placed on monthly pension in the state.

This is due to the massive fraud discovered at the Local Government Pension Board, the body responsible for the payment of pension allowances to retired primary school teachers and local government workers.

Already, some of the officials of the board found to have been involved in the fraudulent activities have been apprehended and handed over to the police for investigation and possible prosecution.

The state’s Commissioner- designate for Information and Orientation, Pastor Taiwo Otegbeye, who announced the government’s move to journalists, said the decision was arrived at a meeting between Governor Ajimobi and representatives of the retirees during a meeting held at the Governor’s Office in the state capital.

Otegbeye said the payment of the 50 per cent allowance would continue until the resolution of the pending issue. Otegbeye, who explained that the pension was contributory among the federal, state and local governments, however, said that the Federal Government had not paid its own funds to the state in the last two years.

He said the Federal Government used to pay N604,197,539.43 annually towards the pension funds until it stopped the payment two years ago. He quoted the representatives of the affected retirees as expressing satisfaction with the arrangement and commending the governor for coming to their rescue.

Governor Ajimobi had recently assured the affected retirees that as soon as the planned restructuring of the board was effected, they would be placed on monthly pension.