A group of retirees in Ogun State has appealed to Governor Dapo Abiodun to address the hardship they say they have suffered following the implementation of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), alleging that the transition was carried out unlawfully.
The group, led by its chairman, Oluwole Omopariola, made the appeal during a press conference at the Penpushing Media Conference Hall in Abeokuta, the state capital, describing the event as its fifth appeal to the governor over the matter.
“The purpose of this conference stems from our belief that the good people of Ogun State deserve to know the hardship the stated group of retirees who devoted many years of their active and productive lives to the service and development of Ogun State are facing,” Omopariola emphasised.
He said the group’s major concern was the implementation of the CPS for workers who retired from July 2, 2025, onwards.
“The Ogun State Government announced the commencement of the full implementation of the Contributory Pension Scheme ( CPS) on State Retirees of 2nd July 2025 in June 2025 under conditions that are inimical to the welfare of such category of citizens, particularly having contributed useful years to the progress and development of our dear State,” he stated.
Omopariola alleged that the state government had failed to remit pension contributions and counterpart funding as required since the scheme was introduced in 2008.
“At inception in 2008, the 7.5% deducted from our salaries and the 7.5% counterpart funding by the Ogun State Government were not remitted into our Retirement Savings Accounts (RSAs) as and when due. The 2% penalty for non-remittance within seven days was not paid by the Ogun State Government from 2008 to date,” Omopariola said.
He added that the retirees’ accrued pension rights, which should have been transferred to their Retirement Savings Accounts (RSAs) during the transition from the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS) to the CPS, had not been paid as of December 2007.
He also alleged that the government failed to comply with the Pension Reform Act 2014, which he said required an eight per cent deduction from workers’ salaries and a 10 per cent government contribution to their RSAs.
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“The 2014 Pension Reform Act mandated that 8% should be deducted from workers’ salaries and 10% counterpart funding be paid by the government into workers’ RSAs. The Ogun State Government did not comply. Instead, 7.5% was deducted from workers’ salaries while the Government also paid only 7.5%. This shows that the Government short-changed us by 2.5% that ought to have been paid into our Retirement Savings Accounts ( RSA)”
The group further claimed that the Abiodun administration and its predecessors owed 17 and a half years of unremitted deductions, which it said would have generated substantial interest if paid into the retirees’ accounts.
It also alleged that returns on investment had not been paid since 2008, resulting in the loss of interest that would have accrued on monthly contributions deposited with Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs).
Omopariola said the alleged irregularities surrounding the transition had caused significant financial hardship among members, adding that affected retirees had not received their expected monthly pension payments since January 2026.
“You can then imagine that for retirees who no longer earn salaries, the absence of monthly income is not a minor inconvenience. It affects our ability to buy food, obtain medication, pay house rent, support our families, and meet our basic needs of human existence. We therefore ask the Government of Ogun State: How are retirees expected to survive when their regular source of income have stopped?” he said.
He expressed disappointment over what he described as the treatment of former public servants who had devoted decades to the development of the state.
“We served this state faithfully for decades, we reported for work, accepted postings, served communities, obeyed government directives, and contributed our skills and knowledge to the development of Ogun State under thick and thin. We never expected to be treated this unkindly, with such disdain by any government or fellow human beings”.
He maintained that pension payments were an entitlement earned through years of service rather than a favour from the government.
“We did not enter public service with the understanding that our retirement would become a period of uncertainty and hardship. Pension is not a favour. It is a retirement benefit arising from years of service”.
The group also questioned the government’s position on pension payments, particularly in view of the alleged failure to remit counterpart contributions.
“In this particular case, we have counterpart funding that was not properly remitted.How can the government say that payment of pension for retirees is increasing yearly? Does our government expect retirees to die immediately after retirement?
Although the retirees said they did not oppose lawful pension reforms, they urged the state government to postpone the implementation of the CPS until all necessary conditions for its smooth operation had been met.
They said their immediate priorities were the payment of monthly pensions, settlement of outstanding retirement benefits and clarity on the pension arrangements affecting them.
“Our immediate concern is survival. We need our monthly pension. We need our retirement benefits. We need clarity. We need justice. We need a system that will allow us to live the remainder of our lives with dignity.
“Your Excellency, Prince Dapo Abiodun CON, we respectfully appeal to you as the Chief Executive Officer of our dear State. We recognise the challenges involved in administering a pension system and the financial responsibilities of government”.
The group urged the governor to consider the circumstances of affected retirees and intervene to prevent them and their families from being left without a means of livelihood.
“But we ask Your Excellency to remember that behind every pension file is a human being. Behind every RSA number is a retired worker. Behind every unpaid pension is a family. We therefore appeal to Your Excellency to urgently intervene in our situation and ensure that affected retirees are not left without means of livelihood”.
Among its demands, the group asked the state government to return affected retirees to the Defined Benefit Scheme and immediately begin paying outstanding monthly pension entitlements for those affected by the transition from July 2, 2025.
It also called for the immediate payment of outstanding pensions and retirement benefits, direct engagement between the government and representatives of the retirees, and measures to ensure that former public servants did not suffer avoidable hardship because of administrative or transitional problems.
“We ask you to understand our situation. We are not asking for luxury. We are asking for what we believe is legitimately due to us after years of service. We ask the good people of Ogun State, civil society organisations, religious leaders, traditional rulers, professional bodies, and members of the media to lend their voices to the call for justice and humane treatment of retirees”.
The group said its campaign was intended to promote the welfare of affected retirees, improve the public service and protect the interests of serving and future public servants in Ogun State.
“This clarion call is much more communal than personal. Our commitment is for a better life for this group of retirees, as well as servicing Public and Civil Servants of Ogun State and our incoming children out there.
“We stand for a better Public Service, Dignity of labour and Committed Service Delivery to the good people of Ogun State. We have served Ogun State. We have given the best years of our lives to public service. Today, we are retired — not useless. We deserve dignity. We deserve respect. We deserve to live”.
The retirees further appealed to the state government to address their concerns and ensure that the pension transition did not leave former workers struggling to meet their basic needs.
“We therefore appeal to the Government of Ogun State: Please do not allow the transition to the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) to become a source of suffering for the very people who served this State. Please pay our pensions. Please address our outstanding retirement benefits. Please listen to us. Please act before more families are pushed into unbearable hardship”.
They expressed confidence that the government could resolve the dispute and urged Abiodun to personally intervene.
“Our message today is simple: We are not against the Government. We are not against pension reform. We are not against the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), where it is properly and lawfully implemented. We are simply asking that the rights and welfare of retirees be protected”.
Omopariola concluded by appealing to the state government to treat former public servants with fairness and compassion.
“We served Ogun State with dedication. We now ask Ogun State to serve us with justice, compassion, and dignity. May God bless all retirees. May God bless the Government of Ogun State. May God bless the good people of Ogun State. May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Omopariola added.
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