In a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Arc. Kayode Adebayo, the opposition party, described the claim by organised labour—that the governor has not remitted a single kobo into the CPS in his six years in office—as “a monumental act of betrayal.”
Recall that the organised labour in the state, comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress and Joint Negotiating Council, last week gave the state government a 72-hour ultimatum to suspend the planned implementation of the CPS, which is slated to begin on July 1, 2025.
The workers demanded that the government either revert to the old pension scheme or postpone the implementation of the CPS until all their concerns are addressed.
The labour unions stated that the 17-year-old pension scheme, signed into law in 2008 by former Governor Gbenga Daniel, was flawed from inception as Daniel failed to remit 25 months’ worth of deductions before leaving office in May 2011.
They added that Daniel’s successor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, amended the law in 2013 with the intention of fully implementing the CPS by July 2025, but only remitted nine months of workers’ deductions during his eight-year tenure.
The unions further alleged that Abiodun, in his six years in office, has also failed to remit any deductions into the scheme, despite numerous letters and appeals from organised labour.
The statement read, “We pose the following pertinent questions: Where is the ₦82 billion? Why has the state not accounted for it? Why is Governor Abiodun recklessly rolling out a new phase of the CPS when the foundational structures, legal frameworks, remittance culture, pension board, and workers’ trust are conspicuously non-existent?
“The Ogun State Government’s deafening silence is not only cowardly but also amounts to criminal negligence. This is a clear case of systemic erosion of the social contract, where workers sacrifice their youth for the state and are rewarded with abject misery in retirement.
“The government’s obstinate refusal to engage Ogun State workers in creating a comprehensive pension database or establishing required institutions is irrefutable proof of an intentionally fraudulent administration recklessly playing roulette with the lives of its workforce.
“We demand that Governor Abiodun provide a comprehensive explanation for the whereabouts of the missing ₦82 billion. A decent, transparent, and accountable government should prioritise this before setting up pension institutions to win back the trust of Ogun’s workers.”
The statement added, “Until this is done, any attempt to implement the CPS would be a blatant fraudulent distraction and a gross disservice to dedicated workers who have endured unrelenting callousness from the manifestly incompetent administration led by Abiodun.”
The statement concluded with a call to action, stating, “The Ogun State PDP calls upon the leadership and honourable members of the Ogun State House of Assembly to join forces with stakeholders, discerning members of the public, and our party to liberate the people’s pension from Governor Abiodun’s grasp. The sweat and sacrifices of Ogun State workers must be protected and valued.”
The Peoples Democratic Party, Ogun State chapter, on Sunday, urged the Daisi Elemide-led State House of Assembly to compel Governor Dapo Abiodun to account for the alleged N82 billion in unremitted workers’ pension deductions under the Contributory Pension Scheme.
In a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Arc. Kayode Adebayo, the opposition party, described the claim by organised labour—that the governor has not remitted a single kobo into the CPS in his six years in office—as “a monumental act of betrayal.”
Recall that the organised labour in the state, comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress and Joint Negotiating Council, last week gave the state government a 72-hour ultimatum to suspend the planned implementation of the CPS, which is slated to begin on July 1, 2025.
The workers demanded that the government either revert to the old pension scheme or postpone the implementation of the CPS until all their concerns are addressed.
The labour unions stated that the 17-year-old pension scheme, signed into law in 2008 by former Governor Gbenga Daniel, was flawed from inception as Daniel failed to remit 25 months’ worth of deductions before leaving office in May 2011.
They added that Daniel’s successor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, amended the law in 2013 with the intention of fully implementing the CPS by July 2025, but only remitted nine months of workers’ deductions during his eight-year tenure.
The unions further alleged that Abiodun, in his six years in office, has also failed to remit any deductions into the scheme, despite numerous letters and appeals from organised labour.
The statement read, “We pose the following pertinent questions: Where is the ₦82 billion? Why has the state not accounted for it? Why is Governor Abiodun recklessly rolling out a new phase of the CPS when the foundational structures, legal frameworks, remittance culture, pension board, and workers’ trust are conspicuously non-existent?
“The Ogun State Government’s deafening silence is not only cowardly but also amounts to criminal negligence. This is a clear case of systemic erosion of the social contract, where workers sacrifice their youth for the state and are rewarded with abject misery in retirement.
“The government’s obstinate refusal to engage Ogun State workers in creating a comprehensive pension database or establishing required institutions is irrefutable proof of an intentionally fraudulent administration recklessly playing roulette with the lives of its workforce.
“We demand that Governor Abiodun provide a comprehensive explanation for the whereabouts of the missing ₦82 billion. A decent, transparent, and accountable government should prioritise this before setting up pension institutions to win back the trust of Ogun’s workers.”
The statement added, “Until this is done, any attempt to implement the CPS would be a blatant fraudulent distraction and a gross disservice to dedicated workers who have endured unrelenting callousness from the manifestly incompetent administration led by Abiodun.”
The statement concluded with a call to action, stating, “The Ogun State PDP calls upon the leadership and honourable members of the Ogun State House of Assembly to join forces with stakeholders, discerning members of the public, and our party to liberate the people’s pension from Governor Abiodun’s grasp. The sweat and sacrifices of Ogun State workers must be protected and valued.”
