Ogun workers vow to maintain strike, demand direct talks with Gov Abiodun

Workers across Ogun State have declared that their ongoing indefinite strike action will not be suspended unless they engage in direct talks with Governor Dapo Abiodun himself over the unresolved pension crisis and other longstanding labour grievances.

The state workforce, under the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), and Joint Negotiating Council (JNC), made their position known on Tuesday during a press conference held at the Ogun State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Oke Ilewo, Abeokuta.

The workers began the strike to protest the government’s alleged failure to remit over ₦82 billion in contributory pension deductions spanning more than 14 years.

According to the union leaders, previous engagements with government officials had produced no meaningful results, and only a meeting with Governor Abiodun could address their demands and end the industrial action.

Speaking at the press briefing, Comrade Hameed Ademola-Benco, Chairman of the NLC in Ogun State, flanked by TUC Chairman Comrade Akeem Lasisi and a representative of the JNC, insisted that workers would not be swayed by any form of threat or intimidation, nor would they accept any meeting with officials other than the governor.

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“Yes, we have been receiving calls from one government official, but I told my colleagues that we are not going to meet that person; he is our major problem,” Ademola-Benco said.

“We want to meet only the governor, His Excellency, Dapo Abiodun. He is our employer. We are not employees of the Secretary to the State Government, we are not employees of the Head of Service or the Chief of Staff or any commissioner. We are employees of Governor Abiodun. He is the one paying our salaries every month, and he is the one we want to sit with on this matter, not any other person.”

The NLC chairman decried the harsh impact of the contributory pension scheme on workers, noting the stark disparity between those on the old pension system and those under the new one.

“A worker who retired under the old pension scheme might be collecting over ₦300,000 monthly, while another of the same cadre who retired under the contributory scheme may be earning just ₦60,000. It is causing us sleepless nights.”

He explained that, according to Ogun State’s amended pension law of 2013, the full implementation of the scheme was to commence on July 1, 2025, yet the government had already defaulted on pension deductions for more than a decade. Ademola-Benco also lamented the non-payment of leave allowances for over eight years, accusing the government of failing to honour repeated promises on outstanding workers’ entitlements.

In his remarks, TUC Chairman Comrade Akeem Lasisi described the contributory pension scheme as a “nightmare” from the beginning and alleged that successive administrations had deliberately sabotaged its implementation.

“The administration of Governor Gbenga Daniel which started the scheme refused to pay some months, while only nine months was paid under Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s eight-year administration, with Governor Abiodun in the last six years also not paying a dime,” Lasisi said.

He added: “We have had several meetings, sent several messages to the government but got no reply, yet the future of the entire workforce looks so bleak. The way the contributory pension is being handled is a big source of a nightmare to the workers in the state.
The government set up different committees on the implementation of the CPS, but it has refused to work on the recommendation.”

Lasisi also highlighted the state government’s continuous violation of the contributory pension law, which mandates that both the employee and employer contribute 7.5% each of the worker’s monthly emoluments to be remitted to a Pension Fund Administrator within seven days.

“Yet, for over 14 years, the government of Ogun State has defaulted,” he said.

Both union leaders reiterated that only a direct audience with Governor Abiodun could end the standoff and restore confidence in the state’s commitment to workers’ welfare.

“We will not attend any meeting with government representatives unless the governor is present,” they concluded.

The strike has disrupted activities across state institutions and is expected to continue until the governor personally intervenes in the dispute.

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