Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, has assured retired senior public servants of his administration’s commitment to improving their welfare and ensuring that they enjoy better conditions in retirement.
Oyebanji stated this on Thursday while speaking at the 12th Quarterly Meeting of the Association of Retired Heads of Service and Permanent Secretaries (ARHOSPS), South-West, held in Ado-Ekiti.
The governor, who was represented by the Head of Service, Dr Foluke Olomojobi, said his administration had prioritised the regular payment of pensions and the settlement of inherited gratuity and pension arrears.
He disclosed that the government had paid N30.7bn in pensions and N7.7bn in gratuities at the local government level, while N25.6bn had been paid in state-level pensions and N11.7bn in gratuity arrears.
Oyebanji added that pension payments had been increased across the board following the implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage.
He said the government was also setting aside N250m monthly to settle gratuity arrears, adding that N2.6bn in inherited pension arrears had been cleared since his administration assumed office in October 2022.
The governor commended retired Heads of Service and Permanent Secretaries for their contributions to the development of the public service, describing their experience, wisdom and institutional knowledge as valuable to serving officers.
He said the meeting provided an opportunity for retired senior public servants to renew relationships, exchange ideas and mentor serving officials.
He said that his administration had also prioritised human capital development, healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure, industrialisation, education, women and youth development, job creation, arts, culture and tourism in its efforts to transform Ekiti into a viable economic hub.
The Regional President of ARHOSPS, South-West, Mr Demola Badejo, said the meeting marked one year since the current executive assumed office.
Badejo said that the executive had pursued a seven-point agenda covering media presence, the proposed O’Dua House initiative, strategic partnerships, mobilisation and inclusion, relationship-building, patronage and funding, as well as advocacy and government engagement.
He explained that the proposed O’Dua House would provide a platform for aspiring political leaders to publicly present and defend their manifestoes before informed audiences.
He said that the association had commenced discussions with organisations including the South-West Development Commission, Development Agenda for Western Nigeria, O’Dua Group and Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria.
He urged members across the six South-West states to support the association’s regional activities and make greater use of its communication platforms.
The President of the Ekiti State chapter, Chief Oluwole Ariyo, said the choice of Ekiti as the venue was deliberate, as it would draw attention to the association’s efforts to complete its building project in Ado-Ekiti.
Ariyo commended the Oyebanji administration for supporting the meeting and appealed to the state government and public-spirited individuals to assist in completing the project.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development and former Head of Service, Mrs Pelu Babafemi, described the meeting as an avenue for mentorship and knowledge-sharing between serving and retired public servants.
Babafemi, the first female Head of Service in Ekiti State, said that the presence of the Head of Service and seven Permanent Secretaries provided serving officers with an opportunity to learn from retired officials who had attained the highest levels of the public service.
She urged serving officers to give their best and leave positive legacies, noting that public service had an expiry date. She also encouraged retired public servants to continue contributing their experience to governance and public administration.