After 30 years in service, I’m still waiting for my benefits — Lagos pensioner
Retirement has left Lagos pensioner, Michael Olawale Odesanya, confronting what he describes as a painful and uncertain wait for his retirement benefits after 30 years in service.
In this interview with Damilola Ogunsakin, Odesanya speaks about the bureaucratic delays surrounding his gratuity and pension, the difficulty of meeting basic needs without a regular income, and the plight of other retirees, some of whom, according to him, have died while waiting for their entitlements.
Tell us about your career in the local government service.
I’m Michael Olawale Odesanya. I got employed into the Local Government Service Commission on July 4, 1996. So, when you add up from 1996 to 2026, that gives you 30 years. I was in the service for 30 years. I started as an Administrative Officer and ended as a Chief Administrative Officer, with various duty posts that I’ve administered. The last one being Administration and Human Resources.
How has retirement been for you?
You know, it’s one thing to observe other retirees when you are in office, and at that time, you take it for granted. You begin to wonder, “How did this person get here? Why is this happening to him?” But now, I’m experiencing it.
And I will tell you, retirement is like a terminal disease in this state. Because having been retired, it’s now open to me the number of other people who have retired who have not collected their benefits.
And do you know the sadistic, ironic part of it? We run a PenCom system, that’s PFA, pension funds and so on. Each month, this outfit does not fail to deduct your contributions.
You know, the civil service is one service where you don’t know the day you will enter, but the day you’ve entered, you know the day you are exiting, all things being equal, if you don’t die. So every other person, your employers know the day you are going.
One will expect that automatically, you deduct the contributions. If we are humane enough, then we should prepare these things. If you can’t even meet the day of exit from the service, you should prepare ahead.
How does this compare with the private sector?
Private companies, you see the way they do their own. Once you’ve retired, maximum four months, you are called to get your benefits.
I know NBL then, I know Spintex then, when they were at their peak. We had friends who were just factory workers; we had parents of friends who were just factory workers. The next year, “Ah, my daddy has retired.” Before three months, four months, that fellow got gratuity and things like that.
So why should it now be government, the Alpha and Omega, treating retirees the way they are treating me?
There are no exceptions. I’m just opportune that I have people like you to voice for the voiceless.
How serious is the situation among retirees?
If you wish to go by the way of pensioners and retirees who are dying, maybe two years, one year, six months after retirement, you’d be alarmed. And there’s nothing killing them because there’s no other way to go.
Their last salary paid was in February. And of course, as a civil servant, you are not allowed to have any other thing doing strictly your job, right?
Your pension, your PFA deduction goes every month. Your government gratuity is deducted and saved for you every month. So why is it now taking time to bring it out for you, the owner, knowing that it remains your sole source of livelihood after general work?
Except maybe you are lucky, somebody drops your name, you are appointed, or you are enlisted as a political officer. Aside from that, how do we exist? How do we live? So it’s not been easy for me.
What explanation have you received from the authorities regarding the delay in your benefits?
They contacted me officially, saying I didn’t submit some documents, which is a lie. I’ll tell you that because I was HR. I ensured my documents were intact and taken to the commission.
But then, that’s government. Everybody passes the buck. Bureaucratic bottlenecks - this is our major problem.
So they sent it and said, “Well, I’ve not submitted these three documents.” Okay. As we speak now, I’ve submitted the three documents, and I have copies that were signed, attested to and acknowledged.
So right now, I am waiting. Waiting is part of their cumbersome strategy. You could wait until Jesus never comes because most of them don’t feel like somebody is out there suffering, cannot eat, cannot survive without these things.
They will tell you, “They are waiting for so-and-so approval.” Approval wo le n duro de? What approval are you waiting for?
They said it’s in Abeokuta now. At the end of the day, let them just collect their entitlement, no matter how big, no matter how small. Just let them go. You have done yours. But no, I’m still waiting. I’ve submitted the requested documents. I’m waiting.
How has the situation affected your health and ability to meet your needs?
When you are with a disability, there are supplements you have to take - supplements, medicines. Most of these you don’t get in the general hospital. Most of the supplements I’m talking about, you don’t get them in the general hospital owned by the government.
And most are imported. You have to place them on order. You get them by ordering them. Where do you have the money for such supplements now?
There have been reports of pensioners planning protests over outstanding payments. What is your reaction?
Generally, even those without disabilities, they are not finding it easy. If you’ve been following the trend, you will see that this coming week, maybe today or tomorrow, some pensioners are planning to storm Alausa.
What is their grievance? They said our President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has paid backlog arrears, maybe going to over three months now. The President has released such monies, and somebody somewhere here is not thinking that people should get those arrears and get some soothing for the pains.
Nobody just cares.
What would you like the authorities to do now?
We will not be restrained in any way. The last time it was Punch. Thank God today it’s Vanguard.
If they delay too much, I might have to call an international world conference to expose what I believe is the injustice being done to vulnerable people because that’s the way it’s going to be.
I want them to see this as a special case and so treat it specially, kiakia (immediately) Ogbe f’ohun f’olohun (Giving what belongs to others to the rightful owner). That’s what Ifa says. That’s it.
The post After 30 years in service, I’m still waiting for my benefits — Lagos pensioner appeared first on Vanguard News.