Osun lecturers ask Aregbesola to suspend pension scheme

Lecturers in Osun State owned polytechnics and colleges of education have asked Governor Rauf Aregbesola to suspend the contributory pension scheme and revert to the old pension scheme for them.

The lecturers under the Council of Academic Staff Unions of Osun State Owned Tertiary Institutions said this in a letter written to the governor and a copy of which was made available to our correspondent in Osogbo on Thursday.

The letter dated October 7th was  jointly signed   by the CASUOSTI Chairman, Lasisi Jimoh; secretary, Olusegun Lana; Chairman Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic, Iree, Dotun Omisore; ASUP chairman, Esa Oke, Adesola Akande;  COEASU Ila-Orangun Chairman, Segun Onifade and COEASU Ilesa Chairman, Oladele Ojo.

The lecturers stated that it would be unwise to continue with the CPS because government had been making pension deductions from their salaries and had refused to remit same to their individual pension fund administrators.

They said the gain intended with the introduction of the CPS had been defeated because of non-remittance of pension deductions and refusal of the state government to pay its own part which is seven and a half percent of individual monthly salaries.

The lecturers said they were not asking for something strange because the  Federal Government which introduced the scheme at a point exempted some categories of workers who were initially captured in the scheme.

The letter read, ” That in the interest of all  concerned, Mr. Governor should direct immediate suspension of the CPS and deactivation of the old defined scheme, at least for workers of the state owned tertiary institutions.

” It is note worthy that members of the Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital are not under the scheme. It is also remarkable that even the Federal Government at a point excluded some agencies initially captured under the CSP from the scheme ( e.g. Nigerian Army, judges, Directorate of State Security).”

The lecturers also asked the governor to release all deductions made from salaries saying repayment of bank loans taken by individuals were deducted without remitting the fund to the banks

Ooni: We won’t sell our birthright –Giesi Family

PRINCE Peter Adetola Ogunleye, from the Giesi Ruling House, Ile Ife de­clared at the weekend that the Ooni’s stool is not for sale.

Ogunleye, an octogenar­ian, who also contested the reverred stool in 1980 with the late Oba Okunade Si­juwade also warned stake­holders and other intrested parties against bribery in the appointment of a new Ooni.

He spoke against the backdrop of alleged plans by some individuals, who were said not to be bonafide members of the Giesi dy­nasty to contest the stool.

According to him, the family had commenced se­rious scrutiny to determine the rightful prince from the ruling house who are eli­gible for the throne.

While urging the state government and other rel­evant stakeholders to expe­dite action on the selection process, Pa Ogunleye , as­sured that the royal house would not sell its its right to non member of the family.

A lawyer by profession, Ogunleye said the rotational system introduced in 1957 by the late Ooni, Oba Ad­esoji Aderemi among the four ruling houses and en­dorsed by the defunct West­ern Region government empowers the Giesi Royal House to produce the next Ooni.

Going down memory lane, Ogunleye said since the Giesi is next to Ogboru, which produced the late Oba Sijuwade, justice and fair play demands that the royal house produces the next Ooni.

His words: “Ile Ife is a town with rich culture, his­tory and customs. That is why we will not allow any­one or group of people to rubbish our history. Ile-Ife needs an Ooni who will be an Omoluabi, an Ooni, who will empower his subjects and not just feed them”.

Meanwhile, less than two months after the demise of Oba Okunade Sijuwade, his colleagues, Owa Obokun of Ijeshaland, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran II and Oba Abdul-Wahab Olukayode Oyedotun Bibiire I, Oran­gun of Ila-Orangun are locked in supremacy battle over who takes over as the permanent chairman of the Osun State Council of Obas.

Oba Oyedotun, who spoke on behalf of other obas in his palace insisting that Oba Ar­omolaran II,cannot describe himself as acting chairman as “it is not only an error but a deliberate action meant to rewrite the history of the in­stitution of obas in Yoruba land. It is a known fact that Orangun of Ila takes pre­cedence over the Owa of of Ijesha and no overt and covert mischief can suffi­ciently subvert the histori­cal fact in this regard,” he said. Oba Oyedotun also disclosed that until his de­mise, the late Sijuwade had remained the bonafide chair­man of Osun State Coun­cil of Obas, adding that no chairman had been appoint­ed as his successor since then. Oba Oyedotun, who noted that the publication was misleading and insisted that the anomaly embarked upon by Oba Adekunle must be corrected in the public interest and respect for the Yoruba culture stressed that the culture and tradition of the land in kingship affairs must be respected.

Non-payment of salaries is corruption – NLC

 

The Nigeria Labour Congress in Osun State on Thursday staged an anti-corruption rally in Osogbo, the state capital, asking for support for President Muhammadu Buhari in his war against corruption.

The chairman of the NLC in the state, Mr. Jacob Adekomi, who led the protest, which started at the House of Assembly, said non payment of salaries of workers by some governors was a corrupt act.

He said, “Non-payment of workers’ salaries has been attributed to corrupt practices of state governors, who have gone into heavy borrowing from the banks to carry out huge projects they clearly have no capacity for and use them as conduit pipes to siphon public funds into personal pockets.”

He said the unrealistic minimum wage and non-payment of the salaries had made life unbearable for many workers.

The NLC boss urged Buhari to ensure the recovery of funds looted by office holders, saying this would give him an opportunity to jump-start the nation’s economy.

Adekomi stated that it was unfortunate that some political office holders were far richer than their constituencies and states while the masses were languishing in penury.

The labour leader added that virtually all infrastructure in the country were in deplorable condition, adding that Nigerian refineries must work to stop importation of refined products.

According to him, Nigeria must put an end to corruption in public places to put the nation on the path of development and progress which its founding fathers charted for iindependence.



he Nigeria Labour Congress in Osun State on Thursday staged an anti-corruption rally in Osogbo, the state capital, asking for support for President Muhammadu Buhari in his war against corruption.

The chairman of the NLC in the state, Mr. Jacob Adekomi, who led the protest, which started at the House of Assembly, said non payment of salaries of workers by some governors was a corrupt act.

He said, “Non-payment of workers’ salaries has been attributed to corrupt practices of state governors, who have gone into heavy borrowing from the banks to carry out huge projects they clearly have no capacity for and use them as conduit pipes to siphon public funds into personal pockets.”

He said the unrealistic minimum wage and non-payment of the salaries had made life unbearable for many workers.

The NLC boss urged Buhari to ensure the recovery of funds looted by office holders, saying this would give him an opportunity to jump-start the nation’s economy.

Adekomi stated that it was unfortunate that some political office holders were far richer than their constituencies and states while the masses were languishing in penury.

The labour leader added that virtually all infrastructure in the country were in deplorable condition, adding that Nigerian refineries must work to stop importation of refined products.

According to him, Nigeria must put an end to corruption in public places to put the nation on the path of development and progress which its founding fathers charted for it at independence.