OGUN NLC Chairman, Comrade Hameed Ademola-Benco

The Ogun State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has accused the administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun of failing to remit a single month’s worth of contributory pension deductions since assuming office six years ago.

According to the State NLC Chairman, Comrade Hameed Ademola-Benco, the decision to withdraw services across the state workforce stemmed from the government’s long-standing non-compliance with the Contributory Pension Scheme, which was introduced in 2008 under the administration of former Governor Gbenga Daniel.

Speaking during an exclusive interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Benco said, “The first thing being done is the withdrawal of service of the organized labour (NLC, TUC, and JNC).”

Recall that workers under the umbrella of Organized Labour on Tuesday, July 16, 2025, embarked on an indefinite strike demanding the suspension and review of the state’s pension reform law. They said successive governments in the past 17 years have failed to remit contributory pension funds.

They lamented that the government is owing an accumulated ₦82 billion in unpaid deductions, adding that workers’ salaries were consistently deducted without remittance over a 17-year period.

Benco explained that while the Gbenga Daniel administration remitted only 25 months of workers’ deductions, his successor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, managed just eight months. He added that Governor Abiodun’s administration has not remitted a single month across a 184-month backlog.

“In the past six years of Governor Abiodun’s administration, no remittance has been made,” Benco stated bluntly during the programme.

He also noted that despite repeated engagements with the state government, critical components of the pension law remain untouched. These include the calculation of past service years into individual pension premiums, the inauguration of the Pension Board, and the establishment of regulatory structures to administer the scheme.

“We have been interfacing with the present government to make them see reason why this bill cannot take off yet,” he said. “The pension board is yet to be inaugurated, the rules have not been mandated, and past service calculations have not been done.”

Although the Ogun State Pension Reform Law was amended in 2013 with a planned implementation date of July 1, 2025, Benco stressed that the necessary legal and administrative frameworks required for the scheme’s success are still nonexistent.

The strike, which began on Tuesday, has seen workers across various state ministries and agencies down tools in protest. Labour unions are also demanding the payment of outstanding leave allowances, delayed promotion letters, and the full implementation of the consequential salary adjustment in line with the national minimum wage.

On the wage matter, Benco described the ₦42,000 increment as “a salary award”, saying it falls short of expectations. “The basic aspect, utility, and housing should be reflective with the ₦42,000 and that is what is being clamoured for,” he explained.

He revealed that no formal committee was set up to handle these negotiations. “It was the organized labour that discussed and negotiated with the government,” he said, noting that there was no timeline or binding agreement reached during the talks.

When asked if the labour unions were open to meeting with government officials for further negotiations, Benco maintained a firm stance.

He added that although efforts were made by the representatives of the Government to reach an agreement, the Union declined, insisting only the governor is liable to reach them.

“We are not employees of the Secretary to the State Government or any commissioner. We are employees of Governor Abiodun, and he is the only one we are ready to dialogue with,” he stated.

Despite the standoff, the labour leader expressed optimism that the governor would eventually engage with the unions. “We are very optimistic he is going to see us,” he said. “You know there are a lot of assignments going on, all over the nation, including the death of the Awujale that just got buried.”

Meanwhile, the Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has declared its support for the strike. In a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Kayode Adebayo, the party described the action as both “lawful and a legitimate right” of workers, stressing that the government must be held accountable for its obligations.

As the strike continues, organised labour, including the NLC, Trade Union Congress (TUC), and the Joint Negotiating Council (JNC), has vowed not to back down until all outstanding issues are addressed comprehensively by the state government.