At the 2025 Workers’ Day celebration in Abeokuta, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun announced that his administration has disbursed N179.7bn in pensions and gratuities to both state and local government retirees since 2019.
The payments included clearing backlogs from 2012 to 2017, marking a significant step toward improving the welfare of former public servants.
Abiodun emphasized his administration’s commitment to worker welfare, noting that pensions are now paid concurrently with salaries.
He also revealed that overdue remittances for the National Housing Scheme had been settled, enabling easier access to mortgage loans for workers.
“As a worker-friendly administration, we have made deliberate efforts to deepen our partnership with labour to improve working conditions and enhance the welfare of our workers across the state.
“This administration, since its inception in 2019, has cleared the pension backlog, and pensions are now paid alongside salaries. We have paid for the period from 2012 to 2017.
“A total of N179.7bn has been disbursed as pensions and gratuities to both state and local government pensioners. The backlog of National Housing Scheme remittances has been cleared, easing access to mortgage loans.
“We have increased car and motorcycle loans to the tune of N1.6bn, disbursed to about 12,500 beneficiaries,” Abiodun said.
To mitigate the impact of the fuel subsidy removal, the government allocated N8bn in palliatives to both workers and pensioners between July 2023 and March 2024.
Additionally, the governor unveiled a new housing initiative—a 350-hectare development at Ijemo/Onisela, set up under a government-backed Sites and Services Scheme.
The project, which will offer essential infrastructure like roads, water, and electricity, aims to support homeownership among state employees. The estate will be named the Prince Dapo Abiodun Bureaucrats Estate.
Abiodun also expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for his economic reforms, which he said are beginning to stabilize inflation and encourage growth. He credited the cooperation between state workers and the government for driving Ogun State’s progress in enterprise and innovation.
He urged the workforce to continue supporting the state’s developmental goals and assured them that the government is aware of the economic challenges they face.
In his remarks, the Federal Controller of Labour in Ogun State, Mr. Andy Egbor, acknowledged the significant contributions of workers to the nation’s development and expressed appreciation for those who have advocated for improved working conditions.
The state Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Hameed Benco, stated that the current economic challenges are threatening both the welfare and job security of workers.
He urged the government to take immediate action by constructing low-cost housing, establishing a regulatory board to control market prices, and providing interest-free loans to workers as part of broader efforts to alleviate the hardship.
Also speaking at the event, the Trade Union Congress Chairman, Comrade Akeem Lasisi, called attention to broader national issues such as insecurity and economic strain, even as he commended the state for its prompt pension payments and worker-friendly initiatives.
