N1.7bn Gratuity: Ibadan Poly Retirees Demand Monthly Payment

The Nigeria Union of Pensioners, The Polytechnic, Ibadan branch, Oyo State, on Thursday, demanded the monthly funding of their gratuity by the state government so as to address various challenges being faced by members.

Chairman of the union, Segun Akindele, made this known during a press conference, held at the NUP Secretariat, Polytechnic, Ibadan.

He said, “We have 245 members whose gratuity have either, not been paid or fully paid. Out of the 245 members with outstanding gratuity, 60 are deceased, putting the percentage at 25.

“Recall that the state council of NUP joined other unions in the state to protest in July, 2023, the outcome of which led Governor Seyi Makinde making a promise to pay gratuity to the pensioners in August, 2023.”

Akindele explained that the governor fulfilled his promise by releasing funds for the payment in August, 2023, adding that the fund was released together with August, 2023 salaries of workers in the state, with the exception of the pensioners of the institution.

He said, “Retirees in the state, with the exception of the pensioners of the Polytechnic, Ibadan, were paid in September 2023. Our retirees here at the Polytechnic, Ibadan were not paid until January 18, 2024 because the list and funds for payment were not sent to the management of the institution until December 2023 by the Ministry of Finance.

“The list of the retirees sent by the ministry contained names of 101 members, out of which 28 were deceased and was funded by N30.7 million.

“Though the union and its members agreed to instalmental payment, some were paid paltry sum of N200,000 out of N7.5 million. Another list for payment was received on campus on February 2024 and was not backed up with funds.

“To our surprise, the list contained largely the same names that were paid in January, 2024, instead of the list to be drawn from the 239 members that were left out in the list of December, 2023.”

He lamented that previous efforts made by the NUP to seek an audience with the state commissioner for Finance were unsuccessful.

“We demand that henceforth, payment should run through the entire members of retirees before it will come to the turn of whoever has been paid before.

“We equally demand monthly funding and payment of our gratuity and increase funding for payment bearing in mind the size of the portfolio (N1.7bn) of our gratuity,” he added.