Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, yesterday, said that the state government would continue to hold retirees in high esteem and as well continue to carry them along and relate with them with dignity, fairness and equity.

Sanwo-Olu also disclosed that the state had done some significant reforms for pensioners to reflect the reality of today.

He spoke during a courtesy visit by the Executive Secretary, Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), Tolulope Odunaiya, at the Lagos House Marina.

The governor maintained that his administration had committed to making life meaningful and better for residents, especially the retirees.

He said: “We in Lagos State understand and appreciate the life and the time of our pensioners. We know that they have used very active parts of their lives serving the government at one point or another.”

“On the contributing pension, we are the only state today that doesn’t have any pension arrears. In the last three years, we have cleared everything that is a liability on our pension. There is no pensioner who would say we owe three years’ money.

“What happens now is that if your documents are complete and you exit, within the first two and three months maximum, you should begin to enjoy everything that you have laboured for, and that is what we are seeing and confirming to you.

“For people who have served the country, the minimum we can do is to respectfully give them a space and a listening ear so that in their older years, they can know that the government continues to remain appreciative.”

Odunaiya, who spoke earlier, said PTAD is willing to build a stronger working relationship with the Lagos State government, noting that many of the nearly 200,000 pensioners under the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS) administered by PTAD across the nation live in Lagos.