Pensioners in Ondo State have lauded Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) for always respecting them and listening to their views. The pensioners hailed the governor for granting them audience to discuss the issue of their welfare when they visited him.
They were full of excitement during their meeting with Akeredolu at the Governor’s Office, stressing that the immediate past government ignored them for six years. Led by their Chairman, Chief Raphael Adetuwo, they hailed Governor Akeredolu’s interest to provide fund for this year’s Pensioners’ Day Celebration.
According to them, the union itched to meet with the immediate past government for six years without success. They also hailed the governor for assisting the state pensioners union to put its vehicle on the road.
Adetuwo said: “The prompt payment of monthly pensions since he came on board and his frantic effort to completely clear the liabilities inherited from his predecessor are commendable and praise-worthy.”
Governor Akeredolu, while responding, told the pensioners that his administration owe the people of the state, including the pensioners, the responsibility to serve them well and creditably. He added that the people of the state also deserved good infrastructure.
The governor condemned suggestions in some quarters that he was executing projects, instead of spending all the public resources on payments of workers’ salaries. Akeredolu added that investing in the future of the state could not be termed as white elephant.
He said: “Building good roads for the comfort of our people and rehabilitating public schools for children are not white elephant projects. “I am yet to be convinced that borrowing money to rehabilitate dilapidated public school building could be regarded as white elephant.”
Akeredolu, however, clarified, to the admiration of the pensioners, that the N150 being deducted from from their pensions are bank charges. “Before my administration came on board, N350 was being deducted from the pension as bank charges, but when we came in, we intervened to get the money reduced to N150. So, the money is not being remitted to the state government’s coffer.”