To assuage the agony of pensioners in the state, the Edo State Government has released about N430 million through the Joint Account and Allocation Committee (JAAC) in the last two months.

In a statement on Thursday, the government said the sum was released as part of Governor Godwin Obaseki’s phased approach in offsetting pension arrears, which accrued over a 20-year period.

According to the statement, “in August, Edo JAAC allocated N212, 879,888 for settlement of pension arrears, while in September, the sum of N212, 879,000 was set aside for the same purpose out of the N2,868,174,276 that accrued to the 18 local government councils as revenue.

“Efforts are ongoing to harmonise the pension system in the state. We want to ensure that those at the local councils enjoy smooth transition to the new pension scheme. This is so that they are on the same scheme with their counterparts in the employ of the state government.”

Noting that the plight of pensioners was top priority for the administration, the state said that “the sum is for the settlement of arrears of pensioners in local government areas. The pensioners have been protesting for a while and we assured them that we have an elaborate plan to address their concerns. So, it is in this light that we have made arrangement that part of JAAC disbursement addresses pension arrears.”

The statement added that it has been responsive to the plight of pensioners, many of whom have sacrificed a better part of their lives in service to the state.

“We hope to continue to approach this issue with the phased approach and are confident that in no distant time, the state wouldn’t have to deal with issues such as this anymore,” the government assured.

•Head of Owan East Local Government Administration, Mr. Akeena Ade-Akhani (2nd from left), addressing journalists after the monthly JAAC meeting at the Government House in Benin City, recently.