James Sowole in Abeokuta
Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, yesterday said his administration has paid over N70 billion as gratuity and pension to retirees in the last three and a half years.
The governor who stated this at Ijebu-Ode, during a Town Hall Meeting on the 2023-2025 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and 2023 Budget for Ogun East Senatorial District, also said the quarterly payment for pensioners had been increased from N500 million to N600 million.
The governor who took a swipe at the previous government for failing to pay the retirees their entitlements, said the amount was huge, but his administration was doing the needful to ensure our retirees enjoy the fruits of their hard work.
He assured workers that their entitlements ranging from global deductions, leave bonuses and others, would be paid as the finances of the state improves.
The governor also disclosed that that the state generated over N70 billion from January to September this year as Internal Generated Revenue (IGR), saying the various policies put in place and the influx of investors, have increased the internal revenue of the state.
He said, “Some few days ago, someone sent me a video of an indigene of the State in Diaspora who claimed that the IGR of the state is on the decline. I can tell you that as of today, Ogun State IGR from January to September is over N70 billion.
“Last year, our IGR was over N100 billion. So how can someone claim that our IGR is declining? This claim is false.”
He said this year’s meeting which was a continuation of previous ones, was the most important as it is a transitional budget, adding that global best practices and financial engineering would be used to implement the budget that would continue to open up the State for more investments.
The governor while stating that the state economy was sustainable, also announced that the ground breaking for the construction of seaport at Olokola, would soon be done, just as he said plans have been concluded to extend the Lagos rail project from Okokomaiko to Agbara for easy movements.
Abiodun enumerated some achievements recorded on infrastructure, health, education and agriculture siting Ijebu-Ode- Epe, Oba Erinwole, Igan, Ilisan- Ago- Iwoye and market roads, as examples.
While urging communities with deplorable roads to exercise patient, the governor promised that attention would be given to major roads across the State, as finances improved.
On measures taken to improve power supply in the State, Abiodun emphasised that attention would focus on power generation, installation of solar light in major markets in the next financial year, while provision of portable water, would also receive due attention.
He said his administration has spent so much on maintenance of peace by equipping the security agencies with needed tools, calling on the people to eschew violence by living in peace with one another, as this would encourage more investors to come and invest in the state.
In his opening remarks, the Chief Economic Adviser and Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Dapo Okuboyejo, said the meeting was to vigorously engage all stakeholders in the Senatorial District to get their views that would form the basis for next year’s budget.
