The Accord Party (AP) governorship candidate in Ekiti, Mr Reuben Famuyibo, has signed a pact with pensioners in the state to ensure workers entitlements are paid promptly after disengagement from service.
At an interactive session with members of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP), Ekiti State Chapter, on Friday in Ado-Ekiti, Famuyibo said that if elected into office, the welfare of workers and pensioners would get attention.
Famuyibo, who is contesting in the June 18 governorship election, said that if elected into office, he would ensure that workers entitlements are ready within 90 days of their disengagement from the civil service.
He solicited the support of members of the NUP to ensure that he emerged the next governor after the June 18 governorship election.
“If I am given the opportunity to govern Ekiti State, pensioners will get their reward here on earth and not when they are dead,” the AP governorship candidate said.
He assured that his Seven-Point Agenda would take care of every facet of the Ekiti economy and socio political sustenance.
He listed is agenda to include Shelter, Security and Quality of Life; Health and Wellness; Education, Technology and Youth Development; Low Cost Housing and Environment.
Others are Tourism and Entertainment; Economic Development and Infrastructure; as well as Road and Transportation.
He challenged the pensioners to play a role in the emancipation of the state from looters by voting massively for the Accord Party in the June 18 gubernatorial election.
Famuyibo said that his administration if given the mandate would not only take care of pensioners, but create enabling environment for workers to be trained in vocational skills preparatory to their eventual retirement.
Responding, the Chairman of NUP in Ekiti, Chief Joel Akinola, pledged their support for the aspiration of the Accord Party candidate to become the next governor of Ekiti.
The NUP chairman presented the challenges of his members to the AP candidate, saying that pensioners in Ekiti are suffering, with Local Government pensioners being owed arrears of seven months pension.
He said that other categories of pensioners are being owed not less than three months arrears of pension.
“Other grievances of the pensioners included non-payment of gratuities since 2013; non-conformity of the state with the payment of pension in consonance with the National Minimum Wage, among others,’’ Akinola said.
The pensioners also craved the creation of a Ministry of the Elderly to cater for the needs of the aged and pensioners and to represent their interest in government.