Deborah Akinyosoye
Pensioners in Ogun State have called on Governor Dapo Abiodun to extend the Christmas and end-of-year bonus recently given to civil servants in the state to include retired workers.
The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Ogun State chapter, made the appeal in a letter signed by its Chairman, Alhaji Waheed Oloyede, and Secretary, Comrade Bola Lawal.
The letter, which was made available to journalists in Abeokuta, commended the governor for the prompt payment of December pensions, describing him as a compassionate and humane leader.
The union lauded the governor’s gesture of providing bonuses to the state workforce, noting that it was a “proactive motivational gesture” that had brought joy to many during the festive season.
“Your Excellency, this is to sincerely acknowledge and appreciate you for your kind gesture at ensuring the payment of December 2024 pensions early enough for us to celebrate Christmas in our own little way,” the statement read.
The pensioners expressed gratitude for the governor’s consideration of workers’ welfare and urged him to replicate the gesture by extending the bonuses to retirees, whom they described as “vulnerable senior citizens.”
“Our dear benevolent Governor, we, your aged brothers and sisters, hereby make a passionate appeal to Your Excellency, in the spirit of the Yuletide and the approaching New Year, to extend such bonus consideration to all Ogun State pensioners, to enable us to enjoy the bliss of the seasonal celebration,” the letter added.
The union concluded by wishing the governor a happy New Year in advance and expressing optimism about his approval of their request.
The pensioners’ appeal follows the Ogun State government’s decision last week to provide bonuses to civil servants to celebrate Christmas, a move that received widespread praise from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), and the Joint Negotiating Council (JNC).