Joy Unlimited, As Ambode Clears Backlog of Lagos Sports Commission Retirees’ Pensions, Bond Certificates Distributed Tuesday

Joy was seeing in the faces of the 13 Pensioners of the Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC) when the Executive Chairman of the Governing Board of Commission, Dr. Kweku Tandoh presented the retirees their Bond Certificates during a brief ceremony held inside the Conference Room of the Commission at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

The presentation was witnessed by the Director General of the LSSC, Babatunde Bank-Anthony and some other management staff of the Commission.

P.M. EXPRESS reports the 13 pensioners who had retired from 2015 till last years have received bond certificates which indicate that the outstanding gratuities of the pensioners which is more than N60 million have been cleared by the Lagos State government.

 While addressing the retirees, the chairman, Dr. Tandoh expressed gratitude to the Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode for graciously approved the fund to clear the outstanding gratuities of the retirees.

 He said one of the problems he met when he resumed office a year ago was how the commission would pay the outstanding gratuities of the pensioners.

According to him, when he came to the commission; the pensioners were owned over N100 million, but commended Governor Ambode for approving the fund last week.

“Today is a great day. Today is the day it gives a lot of joy to me and the pensioners. When I came to the commission a year ago, one of the issues I met was outstanding gratuities and benefits of our pensioners. The Director General of the Commission, Mr. Bank-Anthony and I approached the governor on the matters and I am happy to tell you today that the governor graciously approved it.

“It has never happened in the history of the commission and we have divided the scheme into two, we are paying the pensioners that fall under the new scheme with the sum of N60 million, while in the next few days; we would pay the pensioners that fall under the old scheme over N43 millions,” he said.

 In his own comment, Director General of the Commission, Bank-Anthony thanked the Lagos state Governor for his kind gesture by releasing the outstanding money for pensioners recently. He said the commission has recorded a remarkable achievement by paying the gratuities of the pensioners who had retired more than four years ago.

He, however, urged the retirees to spend their money judiciously and avoid projects that would make them to regret in their lives.

“I am happy that the backlog of gratuities of the pensioners who had served the commission during their active days have been resolved. I think we need to commend the Lagos State Governor for coming at this moment to graciously approve the huge amount of money. It shows that he has the interest of the people in his heart and he is concerned about the wellbeing of the retirees who had served this state for more than 20 years,” he said.

Among the recipients that received the bonds certificates are former Manager of Teslim Balogun Stadium, Okanlawon Lawal Ibrahim and forrmer Director of Sports Lagos Sports Council, Grace Asagba and others.