The Ekiti government has disbursed the sum of N30.5 million to 30 retirees under the state Contributory Pension Scheme.

Governor Biodun Oyebanji presented cheques to the beneficiaries on Tuesday, in Ado-Ekiti.

Mr Oyebanji promised that no retiree wouldl be denied his or her benefits after retirement from the service of the state.

The governor said that the beneficiaries represent the fourth batch to receive payments under the CPS.

He described the initiative as a game changer in the lives of retirees in the state.

Mr Oyebanji said the CPS was conceptualised  to ensure future financial security for the retirees, assuring that his government won’t dash the hope of pensioners on getting their benefits.

“Considering the tremendous success the CPS had recorded in Ekiti State, efforts are on top gear to expand the coverage of the scheme by migrating all public servants, except those who will be retiring before December 31, 2028, and the Justices from the Defined Benefit Scheme to CPS.

“The DBS, which had become unfashionable all over the world, is bedeviled with the problem of huge arrears of unpaid gratuity among other challenges that have rendered the scheme unsustainable.

“But the CPS is designed in such a way that when employees retire, they  get their retirement benefits promptly. The CPS has come to stay in Ekiti. Since its inception, retirees under the scheme have been enjoying their retirement benefits without delay.

“Let me assure you of the commitment of Ekiti State government to the welfare of all workforce and the good people of the state”, he said.

Mr Oyebanji urged the beneficiaries to refrain from financial profligacy or indulgence in acts that could rob them of their benefits after receiving the entitlements.

Applauding the governor for prioritising the welfare of pensioners, the chairman, Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP), Ekiti, Joel Akinola, thanked Mr Oyebanji.

“It was like the governor is a God sent to pensioners with the way he has been prioritising our welfare. He has tried and we are happy with him. The governor was sent to deliver pensioners from sufferings,” the chairman said.

Mr Akinola admonished the beneficiaries to be frugal.

“Don’t squander this opportunity. Invest in something that can give you gains. Eat well and prioritise your health needs, so that your labour won’t be in vain,” he said.

The permanent secretary, Ekiti Pension Commission, Omotola Faseluka, described the CPS as a universal cure to the recurrent and painful cases of prolonged indebtedness of retirement benefits.

“Oyebanji shall work in tandem with the kernel of the policy to make lives more abundant for pensioners,” Mr Faseluka said that the payment was a confidence booster and strong indication that the current government maintains high proclivity to fulfilling its obligations to the senior citizens, by keeping to the prompt payment of benefits under the CPS.

(NAN)