– Offer Support for Governor’s 2nd Term Bid
PENSIONERS in Ondo State have declared their support for the re-election bid of the state Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko who received scores of the pensioners in his office during a solidarity visit. The pensioners are members of the Local Government Pensioners Vanguard for Continuity of Iroko Good Governance in the State.
Dr Mimiko, who was excited by the spirit of the aged persons that sacrificed their daily activities to come for the solidarity rally, assured them of his administration’s determination to continue to provide all their legitimate benefits so as to make their old age very easy.
As a government that has the legitimate mandate of the people, the Governor vowed to continue to take decisions that will benefit the greatest number of the people, stressing that no amount of propaganda from any quarter would distract him.
His words “I’m very excited to see our fathers and mothers in their old age coming together to show their solidarity and support to this government. This is marvellous and I want to assure you that all your rights in this government will not elude you. I must thank you all for this visit, this is unique and marvellous in our eyes. I promise that we’ll not disappoint you”.
Earlier in his speech, the chairman of the Vanguard, Chief Femi Alewi, said that the purpose of the visit was to publicly declare their support for the re-election of the Governor in the October 20 gubernatorial poll.
According to him, prior to the inception of his administration, local government retirees had suffered so much in their bid to receive their retirement benefits, adding that the assumption of Dr Mimiko as governor had greatly alleviated their sufferings.
He said “Before the inception of your administration in February 2009, it was a curse to retire either as local government worker or primary school teachers. The indebtedness of the board occasioned by refusal of the federal government to remit her own quota of pension fund was so enormous”.
He added” This problem was a general problem in the country, we were surprised when your caring heart policy was extended towards payment of huge indebtedness and your administration voted the sum of N1.4 billion to pay the accrued debt in September 2009 to pensioners”.
“In 2010, your office was informed about the arrears of 142% owed by federal the federal government to the devolved retired primary school teachers who have hitherto been on the payroll of the federal government but was devolved to local government in August 2003, again your administration voted a huge sum of money to pay the arrears even though the debt was owed by the federal government” said Alewi.