Date Published: 10/28/09

Ondo doles out N1.4bn to pensioners, flags off Nigeria’s first smart-card solution

The Ondo State Government on Tuesday paid out the sum of one billion, four hundred naira (1.4billion) to a total of one thousand five hundred and fifty one (1,551) retired primary school teachers and local government staff in six designated centres all over the State just as it launched the first ever State Residency Card project and Safe Motherhood programmes in the nation.

The State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, who flagged the payment of the frail looking pensioners who despite their pitiable conditions were full of joy at the Akure Payment Centre disclosed that the gesture was in line with his administration maxim of ‘A CARING HEART’ and its desire to bring joy and hope into the lives of the people of the State.

His words: “Our Administration has resolved that instead of paying these benefits piecemeal without making the intended economic impact on the pensioners, we decided to pay out in lump sum, a total sum of One billion, four hundred Million Naira (1.4bn) which is the total amount owed all primary school pensioners and retired local government staff in Ondo State. This is the first time this is being done in Ondo State.”

Mimiko regretted the plight of the pensioners “whose current unenviable condition is being dramatized by the grim statistic of the high number of those that die while still pursuing their gratuities and arrears of pension.” He disclosed that of the 1,551 retired primary school teachers and local government staff, a total number of 466 people representing about 31% of them had died without getting their terminal benefits; a development which he insisted was unacceptable.

The Governor also disclosed that in order to ensure that the retirees are not subjected to unnecessary hardship while trying to collect their entitlements, six (6) payment stations had been created, two in each of the three Senatorial Districts in the State.

The Governor also at Igbara-Oke, headquarters of Ifedore Local Government Area of the State flagged off the pilot phase of Ondo State Residency Card Project (Kaadi Igbe Ayo) and the Safe Motherhood Abiye Project both reputed to be the first to be embarked upon by any State in Nigeria.

At the occasion, Dr Mimiko disclosed that the Kaadi Igbe Ayo Project was primarily meant for identification and not for enumeration of the residents of Ondo State and it is voluntary.

Says the Governor: “KAADI IGBEAYO will make the identification of all residents in this state possible and also through this, collate the information necessary for planning and execution of numerous people-oriented programmes of government. It is a dynamic smartcard-based solution that will be processed for all residents of Ondo State to serve as the interfacing item for usage at all Public and Private Transaction points within the State. It allows all residents equal access to government social and welfare services, and
also enables government to monitor at every point, the distribution of such services even in the remotest parts of the state.”

The Abiye project, according to Mimiko, demonstrates the total commitment of the present administration to qualitative maternal health service delivery adding that it was conceived in line with “our earnest desire to reverse the unenviable record of being dubbed as the State with the worst health indexes in the South West as attested to by the World Bank recently by arresting infant and maternal morbidity forthwith.”

Under the Abiye programme, all pregnant mothers, the Governor further explained, would have 24 hour access to medical facilities.“This is to reduce to the barest minimum the incidents of pregnant women’s mortality, and eliminate complications occasioned by lack of adequate medical attention during pregnancy.  To this end, all pregnant mothers will be provided with GSM phones with SIM cards to make free calls to designated medical personnel who have been tagged Health Rangers. Under the scheme, the State governments would embark on the renovation of all the Basic Health Care Centres in the State and staff them with qualified doctors, midwives and community health
extension workers who will serve as Health Rangers in those communities.”

Mimiko therefore revealed that both the KAADI IGBE-AYO and ABIYE projects would be facilitated by the Ondo State Volunteers members. His words: Since we assumed office in February 2009, about 4,000 of our youths have registered on the volunteer scheme, and 500 of these volunteers are engaged on this pilot scheme. The volunteer scheme will be launched formally soon.  I urge our youths who are yet to register to take full advantage of this golden opportunity of contributing to social change and development.”