Gov. Monday Okpebholo approved Edo retirees’ request to move association members from the Contributory Pension Scheme to the Defined Benefits Scheme, BusinessDay reported Wednesday, as the group pledged support for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election.
The group visited Okpebholo at Benin City’s Government House on Wednesday to thank him and express solidarity, BusinessDay reported. The newspaper said the decision addressed concerns the retirees had raised about their pension arrangement.
Association Chairman Asemota Osagie Andrew blamed retirees’ difficulties on how the previous state administration put the CPS into practice. He said his 35 years in public service had shown him the challenges pensioners face.
Andrew said the retirees would help fulfill Okpebholo’s promise to mobilize 2.5 million votes for Tinubu. “We will support you politically,” he told the governor, BusinessDay reported.
Andrew said the association had asked to move its members from the CPS to the DBS before Okpebholo agreed. He said the governor acted within a fortnight of their conversation, contrasting the approval with Lagos pensioners’ ongoing effort to secure a similar change.
Aikpitanyi Felix, the association’s secretary, said members planned to repay the governor’s help at the 2027 polls. In reply, Okpebholo said he would make decisions based on what benefits Edo residents and credited Tinubu with supporting his administration. “Anything that will not benefit Edo people, I will not do it,” he said.
The pledge follows Tinubu’s Oct. 24 campaign launch in Kaduna, where he promised to pursue Nigeria’s economic recovery.
