In Kogi State, joy and celebration spread across local government areas as workers received 85% of their salaries and pensioners received full pensions for the first time in 16 years. This financial relief follows recent enhancements in federal allocations and a directive from President Bola Tinubu urging states to clear salary and pension arrears.
The shift to partial salary payments began in 2011 amid financial strains and claims of an inflated workforce. The restoration of payments was widely praised by local government employees and pensioners, expressing hope for continued and full salary disbursements in the future.
Salome Anka, a local government worker, expressed her relief but hoped for sustainability. “I only hope that Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo will be magnanimous enough to sustain the tempo of the payment and possibly increase it to 100 percent. The hardship is just too much,” she said.
Engineer Clement Ohida, Chairman of the Kogi State chapter of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners, commended Governor Ododo for the full payment of pensions, acknowledging his responsiveness to their longstanding pleas. “By this feat, he has proven to be pensioner-friendly, and we are not taking it for granted,” Ohida remarked.
Ohida also appreciated the efforts of Barr. Deedat Ozigi Salami, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, and the appointment of Comr. Onuh Edoka as the Special Adviser on Labour Matters, noting it as a positive step for labor relations.
Tade Adeyemi, President of the Kogi State Chapter of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, echoed these sentiments, praising Governor Ododo’s actions and affirming the union’s support for his administration.
The local government pensioners and workers are now hopeful for the resolution of other longstanding issues such as pension harmonization and gratuity, encouraged by the recent developments under Governor Ododo’s administration.
