Comrade Segun Abatan, Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Oyo State branch, has praised Governor Seyi Makinde for transforming the lives of pensioners in the state, stating that the governor has “wiped away their tears.”
Speaking during an interaction with The People’s Verdict, Abatan recounted the plight of pensioners before Governor Makinde’s administration:
“Before the advent of Makinde, pensioners were regarded as persona non grata and treated with disdain in Oyo State. When Seyi came, we were afraid whether he would toe the line of former governors. Lo and behold, he disappointed us – positively – by first announcing and placing his salary for the payment of pensioners. That was a masterstroke.”
He explained that, before Makinde’s administration, pensions were paid in percentages and often delayed:
“It was so bad that pensions were paid maybe three times a year. One month’s pension was paid in three installments. So, it amounted to just three or four months’ pensions in a year. We endured that for eight years.”
Abatan commended Makinde for changing the narrative:
“Since he came on board, Seyi Makinde has not defaulted for one month. Rather, he has increased the N250 million he started with to about N1 billion now. So, Seyi Makinde pays N1bn every month in gratuity. He stopped our frustration; he wiped away our tears and made us live. We were being described as the living dead before he became governor. He has not only met our aspirations, he has made us happy. Oyo State pensioners are better off than any other pensioners in the federation.”
On Makinde’s broader impact on the state, Abatan noted:
“Before Seyi Makinde came, there was great disorder in Ibadan streets. Now, there is order. In terms of infrastructure, the roads are now better tarred. He has developed roads not just in Ibadan but across the state – Oyo, Ogbomoso, Iseyin, Saki, etc. Oyo State is having a better look.”
He also praised the governor’s agricultural policies, particularly the transformation of Fasola:
“Makinde has done well in agric. Look at Fasola – it used to be a rural settlement, but he has turned it into an agricultural industrial hub. He assists farmers with fertilizers and other inputs. He has also improved the health sector.”
Abatan emphasized the high regard pensioners have for Governor Makinde:
“If it were possible to have a third term, let Seyi go ahead and ride on. Some are even saying he should be made a life governor in Oyo State because we have never had it so good. Since January 2025 when he increased our pension, life has not been the same.”
Calling Makinde a compassionate leader, Abatan urged him to aim higher:
“We pensioners don’t want him in the Senate; he is too useful to go and be sleeping there. We want him at the presidency level. If his party can nominate him, he will move mountains. I personally will lead pensioners throughout the federation in support because pensioners across Nigeria are endangered. If they see someone who has done well for pensioners now coming to the federal level, all pensioners will rally round him.”
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