Ekiti Varsity Assures Pensioners of Payment as Retirees Protest Delayed Benefits

Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere Ekiti, has assured its retirees that delayed pension payments will be settled, following a protest by pensioners over outstanding benefits.

The university’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Andrew Omojola, said management had not abandoned its pension obligations and attributed the delay to financial constraints and a technical upgrade to the payment gateway by the institution’s bankers.

Omojola disclosed that the university was owing pension payments for August 2026 and 50 per cent of July 2026. He said management was working to complete the payment process and expected the August pension to be paid by September 19, 2026.

Pensioners of the institution had staged a protest on Monday, September 14, expressing concern over the delay in receiving their benefits. The vice-chancellor said the university had taken note of the demonstration and maintained that the delay was not deliberate.

He said management had also planned to pay the outstanding half of July’s pension within the same period, describing the move as part of efforts to ease the financial pressure on retirees. Omojola added that the university had maintained regular monthly pension payments and that the August delay was the first such occurrence.

The vice-chancellor said the institution had spent more than N4 billion on pension and gratuity obligations since 2021. He gave the broader breakdown as N205.069 million for death pensions, N570.693 million for gratuities, N165.094 million for pension arrears and N3.939 billion for monthly pensions, bringing the total to N4.88 billion.

Omojola said the university remained concerned about the welfare of its retirees and recognised their years of service. He added that management had met with the executive committee of the retirees’ association before the protest to explain the institution’s financial and payment challenges.

He appealed to the pensioners to remain calm while the outstanding payments were processed and urged members of the public to disregard claims that the university had abandoned its pension responsibilities.