On Thursday, July 18, 2025, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun announced that the government has commenced full implementation of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) in a bid to resolve the ongoing industrial action that has disrupted public services across.
Speaking at a meeting with labor leaders at the Governor’s Office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, Mr. Abiodun said the CPS took effect on July 2, 2025.
He described the move as a decisive step toward restoring trust between the state and its workforce.
“This is not just a policy adjustment, it is a commitment to ensuring that our workers are not deprived of what is rightfully theirs,” the governor said.
The state government has also rolled out a 10-year framework to clear outstanding pension liabilities in two five-year tranches, scheduled for completion by 2035. Mr. Abiodun promised that the arrangement would be codified into law to ensure continuity beyond his administration.
In addition to the pension reform, Mr. Abiodun revealed that Ogun State would implement long-delayed promotions from 2023 and 2024. Workers promoted in 2023 will begin receiving salary increases reflective of their new ranks in September 2025. Those promoted in 2024 will see theirs by December, three months earlier than the initial March 2026 timeline.
Some context
Nairametrics had earlier reported that the Organised labour under the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Ogun State commenced an indefinite strike over the government’s failure to remit pension deductions, implement the national minimum wage, and address other unresolved issues.
The action was confirmed in a statement on Monday by the Ogun State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Demola Hameed-Benco, following a resolution reached at a statewide congress of civil service workers in Abeokuta, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
The statement directed all civil and public servants to withdraw their services immediately, citing the government’s alleged non-compliance with the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) established under the Ogun State Pension Reform Law of 2008, amended in 2013.
The Governor’s response to the strike
Despite these concessions, Mr. Abiodun criticized the labor strike, which he described as “unnecessary” and avoidable. “There was no need for industrial action when we could have sat down to iron out the issues,” he said, urging union leaders to prioritize dialogue moving forward.
- Nonetheless, the governor struck a conciliatory tone, thanking labor representatives for their cooperation since the start of his administration. He credited their collaboration with sustaining Ogun State’s status as a preferred destination for investors.
- The governor further emphasized that structural measures had been put in place to ensure a seamless rollout of the CPS, aimed at guaranteeing retirement security for civil servants.
- In their remarks, labor leaders acknowledged the governor’s responsiveness to workers’ concerns. Ogun State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Hammed Benco, along with the Trade Union Congress’s Comrade Hakeem Lasisi and Joint Negotiating Council’s Comrade Isa Olude, praised the administration for its willingness to listen.
They apologized for the strike, stating that it was not intended to paralyze the state’s economy or undermine its peace, but rather to safeguard the rights of workers.
The labor leaders pledged continued cooperation with the government, reaffirming their commitment to maintaining Ogun’s reputation as Nigeria’s industrial hub.
