Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, has assured retired senior public servants of his administration’s continued efforts to improve their welfare and ensure that retirees enjoy better conditions in retirement.
Oyebanji, who spoke on Thursday at the 12th Quarterly Meeting of the Association of Retired Heads of Service and Permanent Secretaries (ARHOSPS), South-West, in Ado-Ekiti, said his administration had prioritised the regular payment of pensions and the settlement of inherited gratuity and pension arrears.
The governor, represented by the Head of Service, Dr. Foluke Olomojobi, said the state government had paid N30.7 billion in pensions and N7.7 billion in gratuities at the local government level, while N25.6 billion had been paid in state-level pensions and N11.7 billion in gratuity arrears.
He added that the government had increased pensions across the board following the implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage, describing the measure as part of its efforts to improve the welfare of retirees.
Oyebanji said the government was also setting aside N250 million monthly for the settlement of gratuity arrears, while N2.6 billion in inherited pension arrears had been defrayed since the administration assumed office in October 2022.
He commended the retired Heads of Service and Permanent Secretaries for their contributions to the development of the public service, noting that their experience, wisdom and institutional memory remained valuable to the present generation of public officers.
He said the gathering provided an opportunity for retired senior public servants to renew relationships, exchange ideas and mentor serving officers, noting that political leaders continued to draw on the experience of members of the association in governance.
Oyebanji said his administration had also focused on human capital development, healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure, industrialisation, education, women and youth development, job creation, arts, culture and tourism as part of efforts to transform the state into a viable economic hub.
He urged the delegates to use their stay in Ekiti to visit some of the state’s tourist attractions, including the Ikogosi Warm Spring and Arinta Waterfalls.
Earlier, the Regional President of ARHOSPS, South-West, Mr. Demola Badejo, said the meeting marked one year since the current executive assumed office, providing an opportunity to review its activities and deepen its engagement across the region.
Badejo said 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 said the proposed O’Dua House would provide a platform for aspiring political leaders to publicly articulate and defend their manifestoes before informed audiences.
Badejo disclosed that the association had commenced discussions with organisations including the South-West Development Commission, Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN), O’Dua Group and Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria.
He, however, 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 venue for the meeting 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 other public-spirited individuals to assist the association 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 and a member of the association, said the presence of the Head of Service and seven Permanent Secretaries offered serving officers an opportunity to learn from retired officials who had attained the highest levels of the public service.
She said public service had an expiry date, urging serving officers to give their best and leave positive legacies behind, while encouraging retired public servants to continue contributing their experience to governance and public administration.
