LG autonomy: Workers threaten strike, give seven-day ultimatum
Ogun State Government has announced the clearance of pension and gratuity arrears owed to workers who retired between 2012 and 2020, reaffirming its commitment to the welfare of retirees.

The Economic Adviser and Commissioner for Finance, Dapo Okubadejo, disclosed this, yesterday, during a media parley organised by the Ogun State Ministry of Budget and Planning.

Okubadejo explained that the backlog was linked to the Defined Benefits Scheme (DBS), under which retirees receive monthly pension payments, stressing that the current administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun has not defaulted on pension obligations since assuming office.

According to him, yearly pension payments rose from N6.7 billion in 2019 to N20 billion in 2025, with projections showing a possible increase to N40 billion by 2029.

He said that the state had so far paid N23.3 billion in gratuities covering retirees from 2012 to 2020, alongside N32.8 billion in outstanding gratuities for local council retirees.

IN another development, the Ogun State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), yesterday, threatened to embark on an indefinite strike should the state government fail to implement their demand on local council autonomy within seven days.

NULGE’s threat followed the expiration of 14 days ultimatum issued earlier to the government by the council workers.

The union, which said it had earlier written to the governor, complaining about the state government’s interference in local council affairs, lamented that despite the Supreme Court ruling and the National Assembly’s stance on the autonomy, as well as President Bola Tinubu’s directive, the state governor, Dapo Abiodun, was yet to implement full local council autonomy in the state.

The NULGE said that not implementing the autonomy had left local council administrators struggling with no basic furniture, poor infrastructure, and demotivated workers stuck in tough conditions, which had affected development at the grassroots across the 20 councils of the state.

The union, which also requested the cancellation of the contributory pension scheme, accused the government of breaking its promises, especially regarding the backlog of unremitted pension savings.

NULGE President, Adefesobi Adebayo, who spoke with newsmen yesterday, in Abeokuta, expressed worry over several letters addressed by the union to the governor on the poor conditions of the 20 councils, but without a response.

He, therefore, appealed to the state government to fulfil the union’s requests before the expiration of the seven-day strike ultimatum.