….349 Former Lawmakers Beg Abiodun for Intervention
…Say Over 50 Colleagues Have Died Amid Hardship, Medical Challenges
Hundreds of former councilors who served across the 20 local governments in Ogun State between 2016 and 2019 on Thursday stormed the Governor’s Office at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, protesting the non-payment of their statutory severance and furniture allowances seven years after leaving office.
The ex-councilors, numbering about 349, carried placards with inscriptions such as “No More Promises, Enough of Deception, We Want Payment Now,” “We Are Tired of Being Neglected, Gov Dapo Abiodun, Please Help Pay Our Severance,” and “Seven Years of Suffering Is Enough, Pay Us Now.”
The protesters lamented that despite serving the state diligently for three years under the administration of former governor Ibikunle Amosun, they had yet to receive their statutory entitlements.
They explained that the prolonged delay in payment had thrown many of them into severe financial hardship, with several unable to meet basic family and medical responsibilities.
According to the former lawmakers, the situation has become more painful following reports that severance packages for councilors who served between 2021 and 2024 are already being processed by the government.
The protesters therefore appealed to Governor Dapo Abiodun to intervene and ensure payment of their outstanding allowances.
Speaking during the protest, former Councilor representing Igbogila Ward in Yewa North Local Government, Ajoke Isola, said the affected councilors served the state with commitment and dedication but had been abandoned after leaving office.
She stated that apart from the severance allowance, the government also owed them two months’ salaries and statutory furniture allowance.
According to her, the unpaid entitlements have exposed many former councilors to avoidable financial crises and untold suffering.
Ajoke disclosed that about 50 members of the group had died over the years, allegedly due to inability to access adequate medical care and financial support.
“We served with all diligence and dedication but we are sad that seven years after leaving government we are yet to get our severance allowance paid,” she said.
She added that many of their colleagues battled illnesses they could not afford to treat, eventually leading to their deaths.
The former councilor stressed that the protesters were not at the Governor’s Office to fight the government but to passionately appeal for compassion and intervention.
Another protester, Kayode Olumide, who represented Ward 14 in Abeokuta South Local Government, also appealed to the state government to settle the outstanding entitlements.
Olumide said the affected councilors remained loyal members of the All Progressives Congress and had continued to serve the party faithfully despite their ordeal.
He noted that information available to them suggested that severance packages for councilors who served between 2021 and 2024 were already being processed, prompting their decision to publicly seek intervention.
Also speaking, Olufemi Biobaku, a former Ward 11 councilor in Abeokuta North Local Government, described the delay in payment as unfair and painful.
Biobaku appealed to Governor Abiodun to put smiles on the faces of the former lawmakers by approving payment of the outstanding allowances.
He insisted that the protesters were not sponsored by any political interest group but were genuinely seeking help from the government.
According to him, many former councilors are currently battling economic hardship and health challenges due to the prolonged delay in payment.
Reacting to the protest, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, said the affected councilors did not serve under the current administration.
Akinmade noted that other political office holders who served during the same period, including commissioners and local government chairmen, were reportedly paid their entitlements.
He advised the former councilors to engage the government through dialogue rather than protests, while assuring that the administration would investigate the matter.
The governor’s aide added that if the demands of the former councilors were found to be genuine, the state government would look into their requests and take appropriate action.
