Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has promised to register no fewer than 23,000 pensioners in the State, into the Health insurance Scheme, put in place by the State Government.
Adeleke made this known while flagging off pensioners’ enrollment for the Health insurance Scheme held in Osogbo, the state capital on Wednesday.
According to him, the government is registering all the pensioners in Osun State in line with his electoral promises to the good people of the state.
”Today I demonstrate in clear terms my commitment to the well-being of our retired citizens.
“These are men and women who meritoriously served the state. They deserve all the support now that they are out of service.
“Our administration conducted a situational review of the living conditions of our pensioners. We discover that the critical problem is not just unpaid pensions. Even when paid regularly, the bulk of the fund goes into managing health challenges. Our report concluded that almost eighty per cent of pensioners’ problems centre around health questions.
“It was at this point that we decided to address the root cause. We opted to meet our senior citizens at their point of need. It is gratifying to note that this programme is the first of its kind.
“This is a direct intervention to prove that the government can indeed meet the desires and aspirations of the people,” Adeleke said.
In his part, the Executive Secretary, of Osun Health Insurance Scheme, Dr Rasak Akindele, said all the 23,000 retirees would be enrolled in the health scheme.
Akindele, who applauded Governor Adeleke for giving priority to the welfare of the senior citizens, said the registration of the beneficiaries, totalling 23,000, has commenced.
The Secretary, however, commended the beneficiaries for making themselves available for the registration exercise, while also imploring those who are yet to partake to do so, urging them not to allow the opportunity to elude them.
Similarly, the President of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners, Osun State Chapter, Alhaji Ganiyu Salawu, appreciated the governor for the kind gesture, acknowledging that what the Governor did for them is more appropriate than giving them money to share.
Declaring the pensioner’s support for Adeleke’s second term, Salawu said: “Since the creation of Osun State, what happened during this present administration has never happened. No government has ever made life better for the retirees like Governor Adeleke is doing.
“We commend the governor for counting us worthy and we assure him of sincere support for the second term in office.”
