BY ABISOYE JOHNSON
RETIREES in Ogun State have threatened to drag Governor Dapo Abiodun to court over differential in arrears of their pension.
The Retirees Forum of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (REFOMA- MAPOLY), through their Lawyers, O. A. Rahman, Abdullah, and Co., said their decision to sue the governor followed series of failed advocacy that had been undertaken in the past years.
They made their position known in a petition addressed to the Governor by their Solicitor, titled, “Re- Inappropriate Calculations of Pensions and Gratuities Paid to Retirees Of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta”.
“At the time of retiring from the service of Ogun State, after serving the state meritorious for various terms/period, all the retired officers/staff of MAPOLY mentioned above retired on COMPCASS and CONTEDISS,” the retirees noted.
According to them, retiring on the last scale of payment means their pension and gratuities will be paid on their last salaries “in accordance with the clear provisions of Section 1 of the Pension Act”.
Their counsel also noted that it was not only wrong but statutorily inappropriate to calculate and pay the retirees’ gratuities and pension, using the old salary structure, which was not applicable to them anymore.
He faulted the reliance of the State government on a note that relates to the serving officers of MAPOLY to pay the pensioners, as against using their last salary scale as enshrined in the Pension Act.
Abdullah added that his clients had written several letters, dated April 28, 2018; November 22, 2020, and June 10, 2021, to the state government to correct the anomalies without success.
The Chairman of the Forum, Gbolahan Taiwo, said, in one of his letters to the government, on behalf of the 46 other members, including a one-time rector of the institution, Waheed Kadiri, that most of their members had died, owing to their inability to access medicare.
The Solicitors warned that failure to pay up the differential within 21 days of receiving the letter would be met with litigation.
