Pensioners Will Smile Soon-Ayantayo

Pensioners Will Smile Soon-Ayantayo

(Commissioner for Establishments and Training, Mr. Afolabi Ayantayo)

Lagos State Ministry of Establishments and Training is as old as the state itself, being one of the earlier ministries that led the path of development of the state. It stands at the centre of human capacity development, labour unionism, workforce and life of civil servants after retirement. In this interview with Kunle Awosiyan, the state Commissioner for Establishments and Training, Mr. Afolabi Ayantayo speaks on issues of pensions and other matters as it affects the state civil service.

Excerpts

How do you see this new assignment of running one of the oldest ministries since the creation of this State?

I consider it a privilege to be appointed by Mr. Governor to superintend over one of the oldest and significant ministries in the workings of government in Lagos State. Having had the privilege of being a Special Adviser to Mr. Governor on Parastatal Monitoring in his first term where I supervised the activities of all parastatal organizations in Lagos State, it is a fitting experience for me to be moved to the Ministry of Establishments and Training.
The ministry is very crucial in the governance architecture because its activities have direct impact on governance in the State. Building capacity and ensuring career progression of Civil Servants increase their efficiency and effectiveness which invariably leads to improved service delivery, better decision making. In the same breadth, government desires industrial peace for it to deliver on its mandate and this requires nurturing cordial relationship that has long existed between labour union leaders and the State Government. This responsibility is at the heart of the activities of the ministry.
And to be entrusted to superintend over a ministry that handles such responsibilities is very humbling for me and it goes to show the confidence Mr. Governor reposes in me. I am ready to uphold that confidence for the benefit of the State.

When you assumed office few weeks ago, you promised quality human capacity development. How do you intend to achieve this in tandem with the Governor’s THEMES agenda?

Let me first of all say that Mr. Governor’s THEMES Agenda has now been graduated to THEMES + (plus) Agenda. However, be that as it may, Lagos State has been in the forefront in adopting world class ‘people management initiatives’ in the Public Service in Nigeria and we will continue to do so. One of the strategic pillars of the Ministry of Establishments and Training is accelerated capacity development. Human capital is at the centre of our strategy for development and we recognize that developing their capacity is not only critical for realizing individual potentials for greater efficiency, it is central to achieving some of the goals of THEMES + agenda. As a government, we are prepared to continue to invest in capacity building of the State’s workforce. In the coming months, we will be deliberate in increasing the rate of our learning and development interventions in the shortest time frame in order to upscale and upskill the State Civil Service. We are determined to work on innovative learning and development initiatives for the workforce and to ensure that every civil servant is equipped with relevant skill set and competencies to deliver on their assigned jobs for the benefit of the State. We will deploy existing technology and improve on the training schedules from sector specific hands-on and interactive training to industry exchange programmes to ensure that significant number of Civil Servants benefit from the ministry’s capacity building programmes. Our learning strategy will seek to even support professional development across board regardless of cadre or level and stimulate overall self-development.

“Lagos is reputed to be the best pension administration compliant state in the federation. We are not going to deviate from this path except to assure state’s pensioners of the state government’s commitment to the timely payment of retirees and clear the backlog”

Lagos State Government Pensioners, like other states have complained about not getting their pensions as and when due. What are you going to do differently to make them smile?

There is nothing to do differently. The Lagos State Government has been consistent in the payment of pensions to retirees and it is reputed to be the Best Pension Administration Compliant State in the Federation. We are not going to deviate from this path except to assure State’s Pensioners of the State Government commitment to improve on timely payment of retiree’s pensions and clear the backlog. Mr. Governor has shown greater commitment and determination to clear the backlog of pensions and it is anticipated that at the end of 2023, this would be achieved so that on retirement from 2024, retirees would to collect their entitlement without waiting even for a day.

My interaction with a few of them shows that they do not have vivid understanding between Pension Bond and Contributory Pension Scheme. Can you please elaborate on this?

(Pensioners in training)
The State Government runs two pension regimes. They are Defined Benefit Scheme and Contributory Pension Scheme. The Defined Benefit Scheme is a fully funded pension payment for all pensioners of the State Government who retired before 31st March, 2010. The pension is calculated based on the terminal salary of the retirees and the number of years spent in active service. Payment in this category is in two parts: the lump sum Gratuity Payment and Monthly pension payment. Whilst the Contributory Pension Scheme is an arrangement where both the employee and the State Government contribute monthly towards the payment of pension at retirement. It is funded through the monthly pension contribution where the Government pays 10% while the employee pays 8% of the employee salary and are remitted into an employee’s Retirement Savings Account which is managed by the Pension Fund Administrators. These funds are readily available at retirement unlike Defined Benefit Scheme which depends on budgetary provisions or allocations. This aspect is the crux of agitation amongst pensioners which brings them at logger-head with government.

The former Commissioner boasted a ‘Pay as you go’ system, yet the pensioners still complain. What are you doing about this?

The boast was not in vain. It was predicated on the calculation that with the commitment and determination displayed by Mr. Governor in the consistent effort to clear the backlog, the target of ‘Pay As You Go’ would be achieved by the end of 2023. I want to encourage our pensioners to exercise patience and to assure them that the boast is still valid and tenable.

With over N50billion already paid to about 14,000 retirees in the State, does the ministry have any other scheme in place to ameliorate post retirement financial difficulties?

Yes, there are other schemes initiated by the State Government to ameliorate post retirement difficulties. One of them is the free medical treatment for the aged where they could access and get free treatment from government hospitals as senior citizens of the State. There is also free transportation scheme for all those that have served the State and are above 60 years on various means of transportation owned by the Lagos State Government.
(Retirees in Training)

There are indications in the nearest future that workers may go on strike going by the growing rate of inflation, do you have any strategy in place to suppress Labour Union’s agitation in the State?

We have a proactive government in the State. Before the removal of fuel subsidy, the State Government had increased the salaries of Public Servants by 20 per cent across board shortly after Mr. Governor secured a second term. In addition to this, the State Government had devised measures to mitigate the effect of hardship and inflation caused by fuel subsidy removal. It has commenced distribution of palliatives to residents of the State including Civil Servants to alleviate their pains and sufferings. On the whole, I want to assure Lagos State workers that Mr. Governor is committed to the growth and development of the public service and particularly the well being of the entire workforce. We will continue to deepen relationship between labour and the State Government in order to ensure industrial peace and harmony in the State.

Question: What will you consider as your great challenge in this new role and what are your plans to overcome it?

I do not see challenges, what I see are opportunities because challenges are opportunities for me to succeed. Without challenges, I cannot succeed as an individual because it is an important part of growing and developing. I accept and welcome any situation or issues and make the best of them. In doing that I believe I will grow and become better person. So, in a nutshell, I see opportunities rather than challenges.