Workers in the employ of Ogun state on Sunday accused Governor Ibikunle Amosun of criminal violations of the law, pointing at his failure to remit deductions made under the Contributory Pension Scheme.
The law establishing the scheme demands that deductions be remitted within seven days, but the workers said that has been observed in breach so far for 67 months.
The Chairman, Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, Ogun State Council, Olubunmi Fajobi, made the declaration at the commemoration of the 2016 May Day celebration and rally held at Moshood Abiola International Stadium, Abeokuta.
Fajobi decried the governor’s failure to faithfully run the scheme.
He pointed out that failure to remit deductions within seven days was a serious offence under the contributory pension law.
“We wish to voice out again that the state government should heed to our demand for the suspension of the contributory pension scheme. This demand is borne out of the fact that government has continuously not shown commitment to faithfully run the scheme,” Fajobi said.
The congress leader advised that since uncertainty has pervaded the scheme, government should therefore save the future of the workforce by returning Ogun workers to the old scheme until such a time government is ready to finance the scheme appropriately.
“Why should government continue to violate its own law? Failure to remit fund deducted to Pension Fund Custodian through PFA’s within seven (7) days is a serious offence under the CPS law. Unfortunately, Ogun State Government has failed to remit CPS fund for 69 months,” Fajobi lamented.
Similarly, the congress said considerable number of the workforce currently received less than half of their salary(NET) monthly, while the government pockets the remainder through failure to remit as instructed to cooperative societies, creditors especially banks as well as safe-keepers among others.
“Public servants are respected based on their credibility and credit-worthiness but the reverse is the situation now. We therefore plead with the government to assist its workforce to regain their lost credibility by immediately commencing payment of full salary,” the chairman said.
The TUC seized the occasion of the May Day celebration to appeal to the governor to review the cases and reinstate on compassionate grounds all the retired or dismissed workers of the Ministry of Education.
However, Governor Amosun in his response expressed shock that the workers were showing no gratitude to him for paying one month full-salary out of the nine months’ salary arrears he is owing.
He urged the workers to instead be prayerful, just as he gave assurance that, their welfare would remain paramount to him. Mr. Amosun disclosed that his government was battling a debt crisis of N65 billion but boasted that by the time he leaves office, he would not be owing a penny. He did not say how he would do that.
