…Tell Adeleke to obey court order

By Michael Ofulue, Osogbo

Retired public servants, under the Forum of 2011/2012 Retired Public Servants of Osun, have called on Governor Ademola Adeleke to comply with a court order that mandates the implementation of an N18,000 minimum wage for retirees.

The pensioners, who gathered on Ogo-Oluwa/Abere Road in Osogbo to press their demands, claimed they were prevented by security personnel from staging a peaceful protest at the Abere Governor’s office. Despite this obstruction, they remained undeterred in their pursuit of justice.

Speaking in Osogbo, the group’s leader, Comrade Yemi Lawal, accused the state government of failing to honour a ruling by the Industrial Court delivered on October 5, 2017.

“This is not the first time we are protesting. Since 2014, we have been agitating for our entitlements to be in line with the N18,000 minimum wage. Unfortunately, the government has defied this by paying only N9,000,” Lawal said.

He further explained that although they had won their case in court, the government delayed action by filing an appeal in 2021, which was dismissed on February 7, 2024.

“We have made countless efforts to engage the government, written letters, organised press conferences, and contacted top officials, but there has been no response,” he lamented.

Lawal warned of possible unrest if the state government continues to disregard the court’s ruling.

“Governor Adeleke is a product of the judiciary. Why should he refuse to obey the court’s directive? If this continues, we may be forced to escalate our actions, but we still appeal for the peaceful resolution of this matter,” he said.

The group also criticised the recent announcement of a N25,000 payment to retirees, deeming it insufficient. “How much is N25,000 in today’s economy? It cannot even buy 10 litres of petrol or basic food items,” Lawal argued, adding that retirees earning higher pensions would not benefit equitably from the blanket payment.

According to Lawal, the heart of their agitation lies in recalculating the difference between the N9,000 and N18,000 minimum wages and adjusting their terminal benefits accordingly. He emphasised that this adjustment would affect monthly pensions and gratuities, which have been outstanding since 2013.

“Our demand is simple: the government should calculate and pay the difference between N9,000 and N18,000, which is long overdue. Until this is done, we will not stop our agitation,” he concluded.

The group also appealed to the Attorney General of the Federation and other stakeholders to intervene and ensure the Osun State government complies with the court ruling.

Comrade Sola Olojede, the group’s secretary, also spoke out, expressing surprise at the denial of their constitutional right to protest. Despite this, he said, the security personnel insisted they vacate the government secretariat, where the protest was scheduled to take place.