The workers, who began an indefinite strike on Tuesday over the non‑remittance of ₦82 billion in contributory pension deductions spanning 14 years, made this known during a press briefing at the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) secretariat in Oke Ilewo, Abeokuta.

According to the labour leaders, previous engagements with other government functionaries yielded no solution, and the matter at hand directly affects their survival and future.

Speaking at the briefing, the state chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Hameed Ademola‑Benco, flanked by his Trade Union Congress (TUC) counterpart Comrade Akeem Lasisi and a representative of the Joint Negotiating Council, insisted that the strike would continue until Governor Abiodun personally sits with them and a concrete agreement is reached.

Ademola‑Benco said:

“Yes, we have been receiving calls from some government officials, but I told my colleagues that we are not going to meet with them. They are part of the problem.
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, or the Head of Service, or the Chief of Staff, or any commissioner. We are employees of Governor Abiodun, and he is the one we must sit with on this matter.”

He decried the plight of workers under the contributory pension scheme, noting that someone who retired under the old scheme could earn over ₦300,000 monthly, while those retiring under the contributory scheme get as little as ₦60,000 despite being on the same level.

Ademola‑Benco added that the 2013 amended pension law in Ogun State set July 1, 2025 as the official commencement date for the contributory scheme, yet the government had failed to remit deductions for over 14 years. He further lamented unpaid leave allowances spanning eight years and other unfulfilled pledges running into several billions of naira.

On his part, Comrade Lasisi noted that the contributory pension scheme, which began in 2008, was poorly implemented from inception.

“Governor Gbenga Daniel, who started the scheme, failed to pay some months. Only nine months were paid throughout Governor Amosun’s eight years in office, and Governor Abiodun has not paid a single month in six years,” he said.

Lasisi explained that by law, 7.5% of a worker’s emoluments and an equal 7.5% from the employer should be remitted monthly to Pension Fund Administrators within seven days. Yet, for 14 years, successive Ogun administrations have defaulted.

He concluded that the workers would not attend any meeting convened by government representatives, reiterating that only Governor Abiodun himself has the authority and commitment to resolve the crisis.

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