About 9,130 retirees under the Independent Unbonded Contributory Pension Scheme (IUCPS) in Osun State have appealed to the state government to urgently release their outstanding retirement benefits, saying they have been subjected to years of hardship.
The retirees, drawn from the state civil service, teaching service, tertiary institutions and local government administration, made the appeal on Thursday in Osogbo while speaking with journalists during their meeting.
Speaking on behalf of the group, the chairman, Moses Fayemi, said many retirees who exited service between 2017 and 2025 were yet to receive any retirement benefits, describing the delay as inexcusable.
According to him, about 9,130 retirees are currently affected by the non-payment of retirement bonds, with some waiting as long as nine years after retirement.
“A number of our members retired between 2017 and 2025, yet many of us have not received any payment to date. In total, about 9,130 retirees are affected by the non-payment of these bonds,” Fayemi said.
He added that repeated appeals to the state government had yielded no result, as retirees were often told that funds were unavailable.
“More recently, we were informed that our bonds would only be paid after the release of local government allocations. Unfortunately, we have no clear information on when such allocations will be released,” he said.
Fayemi explained that primary school retirees from 2017 to 2025 were yet to receive any payment, while secondary school retirees had only been paid up to June 2020. He added that retirees from the civil service, tertiary institutions and local governments were paid only up to 2022.
He urged the government to intervene urgently, stressing that the group was not issuing any ultimatum but appealing for compassion.
Responding, the Osun State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, said the state government remained committed to the welfare of workers and retirees, attributing the delay to challenges surrounding local government allocations.
READ ALSO: Ondo Releases ₦2.39bn to Clear Retirees’ Gratuities
Alimi explained that since issues relating to local government administration emerged in February last year, the state government had been shouldering responsibilities ordinarily funded through local government allocations, including the payment of salaries and pensions.
“As a result, funds meant to be released from local government allocations for retirement bonds have been stalled. We are currently in court and have taken several steps to resolve the issue,” he said.
The commissioner appealed to the retirees for patience, assuring them that the government was working to resolve the impasse and pay outstanding entitlements.
It would be recalled that Governor Ademola Adeleke, on May 1, 2025, approved the release of N4bn for the settlement of retirement benefits for some categories of retirees in the state. However, the number of unpaid retirees has continued to increase due to inherited backlogs and funding constraints.