The Kwara State government has alleged that previous Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administrations in the state left over N11 billion in pension and gratuity arrears.

The state Commissioner for Finance and Planning, Florence Oyeyemi, stated this while addressing the people of Oke-ero LGA at a town hall meeting on Wednesday in Iloffa.

Responding to a pensioner who expressed worry over the non-payment of his pension, the commissioner blamed the previous governments for such an anomaly.

According to her, the previous administrations owed over N11 billion in pension, but “we cannot pay all because of the backlog and the meagre resources at our disposal”.

She, however, said over N30 million go to the local government councils monthly, while N100 million go to the state to settle pensioners.

Ms Oyeyemi said the government was doing its best to ensure pensioners are well taken care of in the state

“This is what the pensioners will share every month. I have a backlog of names from Oke-ero LGA, and I have to beg to get this,” she said.

She, however, said that if the union of pensioners in the LGA wanted the state government to reach out through the union of pensioners, the state would take it up for them to understand how much the state had facilitated so far.

Bamidele Kayode, another pensioner who spoke at the meeting, however, commended Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for prompt payment of pension, adding that the governor should be encouraged to do more.

In her response to LGA autonomy, the commissioner said that would not be feasible, saying, “when you talk of financial autonomy, you can only talk of what you understand”.

She explained that local governments in Kwara are autonomous to the extent their finances can carry, adding that LGA money does not come through the state government account but through the LGA account.

Ms Oyeyemi said the state government borrowed LGAs over N400 million to ensure salaries are paid well ahead of the payment of the local government entitlement from the Federal Government, which was why they were able to pay prompt salaries. 

(NAN)