Lagos State Government has disbursed over N8 billion to its retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme and Defined Benefit Scheme.

This is part of efforts to improve workers’ welfare and public service delivery.

The Lagos State Head of Service, Bode Agoro, gave the figure on Monday during the 2026 Lagos State Ministerial Press Briefing at Alausa, Ikeja.

The briefing commemorates the third year of the second term in office of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Mr Agoro said that a total of N8,042,264,264.91 had been paid to the retirees, adding that it reflected the government’s commitment to the welfare of serving and retired public servants.

According to him, the public service remains the engine room of governance and development in Lagos State.

“The payment of over eight billion Naira to retirees demonstrates unwavering commitment of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration to the welfare of serving and retired public servants.

“Our workforce has continued to demonstrate dedication, resilience and professionalism in sustaining effective governance and service.” he said.

The head of service said that the government recorded significant milestones in pension administration, staff welfare, housing support and procurement reforms.

He added that the government achieved much in innovation and workforce development.

He disclosed that 4,837 newly recruited officers across different cadres had been deployed to relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and their details uploaded on the Soft Suite database.

Mr Agoro added that 38 political appointees were also registered in the system.

According to him, 185 newly recruited and converted administrative and human resource officers underwent familiarisation tours to deepen their understanding of public service operations.

He disclosed that the governor approved appointment of 25 substantive directors on Grade Level 17 as permanent secretaries and tutors-general.

On workers’ welfare, the head of service said the government gave its workers N50,000 each as a palliative measure this May.

He added that each pensioner under the Defined Benefit Scheme received N32,000 monthly pension increment.

“We also flagged off the annual health screening tagged ‘Public Servants, Know Your Numbers’ to encourage regular medical checks among workers for improved productivity and longevity,” he said.

Mr Agoro said the 16th edition of the Lagos State Long Service Merit Award honoured 750 public servants who had spent not less than 30 years in service.

He said the beneficiaries included six permanent secretaries and 744 officers across various cadres.

According to him, during the state’s last annual Public Service Week celebration, 177 outstanding officers received plaques and cash rewards, while five senior officers were presented with brand new cars.

“Five junior officers also received five million Naira each through a transparent ballot system, while the governor approved additional cash gifts totalling N130.5 million for other outstanding officers,” he said.

The head of service said that 17 retired permanent secretaries were celebrated during the 2025 Pens Down Ceremony in recognition of their meritorious service.

Mr Agoro said the state government intensified support for retirees through quarterly training, skills acquisition programmes, health screenings and interactive sessions to prepare officers for productive post-service life.

On housing support, he disclosed that the state Staff Housing and Loans Board disbursed N1.59 billion in housing loans to 2,033 beneficiaries in the past one year.

He added that Mr Sanwo-Olu approved a one billion naira yearly car refurbishment loan facility for public servants.

According to him, 422 officers benefited from the car refurbishment loan scheme.

Mr Agoro disclosed that the government approved the handover of Wing A of a newly constructed building comprising two- and three-bedroom flats at Isale-Gangan, Lagos Island, for allocation to public servants.

Highlighting innovation and institutional reforms, Mr Agoro said that the Lagos State Office of Transformation, Creativity and Innovation (OTCI) coordinated reforms that helped Lagos achieve an 85.6 per cent score in the 2025 Subnational Ease of Doing Business Report.

“Lagos emerged as the Best Subnational for Ease of Doing Business in 2025, while the Permanent Secretary, OTCI, was recognised as the Best State Reform Champion,” he said.

He added that OTCI trained over 876 officers under its Growth Mindset advocacy initiative and onboarded 37 new Creativity and Innovation Ambassadors across MDAs.

Mr Agoro said the state’s annual Public Service Ideas Day Innovation Competition produced three innovative solutions, namely: EKOscribe, an AI-powered knowledge platform; BKind, an anti-bullying educational game; and SmartBOQ, a digital solution for managing bills of quantities.

The head of service also highlighted achievements recorded by the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency.

According to him, the agency processed 6,590 approval requests through its e-procurement platform and inspected 252 capital projects.

He said the agency also registered 1,791 service providers, 1,431 goods providers and 1,394 works contractors between May 2025 and April 2026.

Mr Agoro reaffirmed the commitment of the Mr Sanwo-Olu administration to strengthening institutional reforms, improving workers’ welfare and sustaining efficient service delivery. 

(NAN)