The Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned alleged “egregious systemic abuse” of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) in the State under the watch of Gov . Dapo Abiodun. They described the act as a monumental act of betrayal.
Otunba (Arc.) Kayode Adebayo, the Publicity Secretary, PDP in Ogun State, stated this in a statement in Abeokuta on Sunday.
Adebayo explained that the reprehensible failure of duty to the people was an unpardonable offense that history would indelibly remember.
He noted that the organised labour’s categorical rejection of the proposed CPS was not merely a protest, it remained a poignant cry from a workforce that had been mercilessly robbed, callously ignored, and unceremoniously insulted by the present APC government.
“The workers’ justified fury stems from the staggering ₦82 billion unremitted deductions spanning 17 years, surreptitiously swallowed and brazenly ignored by the current government.
“We pose the following pertinent questions: Where is the ₦82 billion? Why has the state not accounted for it? Why is Governor Abiodun recklessly rolling out a new phase of the CPS when the foundational structures, legal frameworks, remittance culture, pension board, and workers’ trust are conspicuously non-existent?!
“The Ogun State Government’s deafening silence is not only cowardly but also amounts to criminal negligence. This is a clear case of systemic erosion of the social contract, where workers sacrifice their youth for the state and are rewarded with abject misery in retirement.
“The government’s obstinate refusal to engage Ogun State workers in creating a comprehensive pension database or establishing required institutions is irrefutable proof of an intentionally fraudulent administration recklessly playing roulette with the lives of its workforce.
“We demand that Governor Abiodun provides a comprehensive explanation for the whereabouts of the missing ₦82 billion. A decent, transparent, and accountable government should prioritize this before setting up pension institutions to win back the trust of Ogun’s workers.
“Until this is done, any attempt to implement the CPS would be a blatant fraudulent distraction and a gross disservice to dedicated workers who have endured unrelenting callousness from the manifestly incompetent administration led by Abiodun.
“The Ogun State PDP calls upon the leadership and honorable members of the Ogun State House of Assembly to join forces with stakeholders, discerning members of the public, and our party to liberate the people’s pension from Gov. Abiodun’s grasp.
“The sweat and sacrifices of Ogun State workers must be protected and valued,” he said.
