The Osun State Government on Tuesday denied collecting any Paris Club refund.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Adeniyi Adesina, said it was absolute falsehood for any group of people to claim that some amount of intervention fund has been made available to the Gboyega Oyetola administration.
In a reaction to the protest of the pensioners’ against the state government and the allegation that they had been abandoned, the state government said the Paris Club refund or any refund in any form, is never secretly disbursed, adding that “such payments are publicly announced.”
It went on to say that Governor Oyetola at inception of his administration promised to run a transparent government with an assurance that “he is not going to renege on this.”
Meanwhile, the pensioners in the state Tuesday protested the non-payment of 15 months arrears of pension and other outstanding debts owed by the state government.
Armed with placards with different inscriptions such “Retirees are dying”, “Pension, Gratuity is our right,” “Pay us our entitlements,” Denying us our entitlements is an act of wickedness and callousness” among others the protesters lamented they were going through very trying times.
The Chairman of Forum of 2011/2012 Pensioners, Mr. Yemi Lawal declared that Osun’s retirees were the most traumatized in the country.
Lawal accused Governor Oyetola of not attending to their plight, lamenting that pensioners have continued to live of penury.
According to him, it was unfortunate that they were suffering for what they have laboured after meritoriously serving the state for many years.
He advised Governor Oyetola to use a sum of 6.3 billion Paris club fund “he received recently from the federal government” to offset their arrears.
Lawan said: “Recently the Federal Government released another tranche of Paris Club fund with a sum of 6.3 billion naira to Governor Gboyega Oyetola to offset salaries and pension arrears. It is quite unfortunate that the state government has diverted the money to another frivolous things
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