Ogun workers insist on meeting with Governor Abiodun, vow to sustain strike

The indefinite strike action currently paralyzing public institutions across Ogun State is set to continue indefinitely, as organised labour insists it will not suspend the industrial action unless Governor Dapo Abiodun personally engages with workers to resolve the long-running pension crisis and other labour grievances.

Speaking at a press conference held on Tuesday at the Ogun State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Oke Ilewo, Abeokuta, leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC), and the Joint Negotiating Council (JNC) said they were no longer willing to hold talks with any government official other than the governor himself.

The state-wide strike, which began days ago, is in response to what the unions described as the government’s deliberate failure to remit over ₦82 billion in contributory pension deductions over a 14-year period, along with other longstanding welfare issues including unpaid leave allowances.

Addressing journalists, Ogun NLC Chairman, Comrade Hameed Ademola-Benco, flanked by TUC Chairman, Comrade Akeem Lasisi, and a representative of the JNC, declared that the workers are united and resolute in their demand for direct negotiations with Governor Abiodun.

“We are not going to be distracted by threats or talks with proxies,” Ademola-Benco stated. “We have received calls from government officials, but I told my colleagues we will not meet with any of them. The governor is our employer. It is with him alone we want to negotiate. Not the Secretary to the State Government, not the Head of Service, not any commissioner.”

READ ALSO: Governor Dapo Abiodun Presents NPFL Trophy to Remo Stars in Historic Ceremony

The union leaders decried the disparity between the old and new pension schemes, describing the contributory pension scheme as grossly unfair and unsustainable. According to Ademola-Benco, retirees under the old system currently receive over ₦300,000 monthly, while their counterparts under the contributory scheme are paid as little as ₦60,000 despite having served in the same capacity.

“This has caused untold hardship. Many of our members have died while waiting for their pension. Some are living in poverty. The contributory pension scheme, as it stands, is a betrayal,” he lamented.

He further explained that according to the Ogun State Pension Reform Law, amended in 2013, full implementation of the scheme was expected to begin by July 1, 2025. However, the government had already defaulted on obligations for more than a decade.

In his own address, TUC Chairman Lasisi described the scheme as a “scam and a nightmare,” revealing that all successive administrations had failed in their obligation to fund the pension system.

He said: “Governor Gbenga Daniel started the scheme but failed to remit payments for several months. Under Governor Ibikunle Amosun, only nine months of remittances were made in eight years. Now under Governor Abiodun, six years have passed and not a single kobo has been remitted.”

Lasisi added that multiple committees had been set up by the current administration to review the pension issue, but their recommendations were never implemented.

He also highlighted the state government’s consistent violation of the contributory pension law, which mandates that both employees and employers remit 7.5 percent each of the worker’s monthly salary to a Pension Fund Administrator (PFA) within seven days of salary payment.

“For over 14 years, the state has simply ignored this law,” Lasisi said. “The result is that workers are retiring into poverty, uncertainty, and despair.”

In addition to the pension crisis, the unions accused the state government of owing leave bonuses for over eight years and ignoring previous agreements on workers’ welfare.

Both union leaders reiterated that no resolution would be possible without the governor’s personal involvement.

“We have lost trust in every other channel. Only Governor Abiodun can bring this strike to an end by addressing us directly,” they insisted.

The indefinite strike has severely impacted government activities in the state, grounding operations in ministries, schools, and other public institutions. Union leaders have called on workers to remain steadfast and united until their demands are met.