I will halt culture of waiting for 10 years to get gratuities, pensions –Oyo ADC gov candidate, Adegoke
BY STEPHEN GBADAMOSI
The Oyo State governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Olooye Adegboyega Taofeek Adegoke (FCA), has promised prompt payment of gratuities and pension enrollments immediately after retirement of civil servants in the state, as soon as he takes over the rein of governance next year.
This is just as he also promised a new era for the youths in the state, assuring them of empowerment through the local governments and a vocational training agency.
Adegoke made this known on Monday while addressing the people of Oyo East, Oyo West, Atiba and Afijio local government areas of the state during a thank-you visit.
Adegoke, who was accompanied by the “Solutions 2027 Team,” said it was sad that after retirement from the civil service, most of the retirees stayed for seven to 10 years to receive their gratuities, adding that they also waited for months before their enrollment into payment of pensions.
He promised that this archaic method would give way to immediate payment of gratuities to retired workers in the civil service under his administration, adding that retired civil servants would be enrolled into the pension scheme the month following their retirement.
“It is sad that retired civil servants often wait for seven to 10 years before they receive their gratuities and several months before they are enrolled for pension. We will change all that.
“Before retirement, the process of gratuities would have started so that they can immediately benefit upon retirement. Also, few months to retirement, the process for placement on pension payment will be worked out and upon retirement the retirees would immediately enjoyed their pension,” he said.
The ADC guber candidate said he would bring a new era for the teeming youths of Oyo State by empowering them through the local governments, noting that youths were the future of the state and, according to him, everything would be done to make sure they were empowered as they grew up in the society.
Adegoke said he hoped to bring developments to the state and ensure that the state lived up to its status as a Pacesetter State.
“I will replicate the developments earlier carried out by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo and the late Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola that made the Western region a greater zone.
“Oyo will be developed to the envy of other states in the country and our Pacesetter status will be a thing of pride,” Adegoke said.
On infrastructural developments, the ADC governorship candidate said in his first 100 days in office, he would ensure repair of a minimum of 10 township roads in each local government, adding that with four local governments in Oyo, 40 township roads would be repaired during his first 100 days in office through the local governments.
He insisted that the contractors for roads’ repair would be drawn within the local government areas, so that they could be tracked, if they carried out shoddy works.
He said he would enhance local government’s autonomy to allow them perform their constitutional roles.
He pledged that the state, under his control, would employ agricultural extension officers to enhance and assist farmers on their farms.
He further said that farmers would be offered soft loans to develop their farms while at the same time, their children would be gainfully employed.
The team later moved to Lalupon to pay a visit to Lagelu and Akinyele local government areas.
