The Lagos State Government says it has paid N23 billion as Contributory Pension Scheme, CPS, to retirees from the public service in the last 16 months.

The government said the welfare of its retirees was of utmost paramount in its agenda in order to ensure that they enjoyed their retirement.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of a two-day training on “Contributory Pension Scheme for Civil Servants,” organized by the Civil Service Pension Office at the Imperial Hall, Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria on Thursday, Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions, Dr. Benson Oke assured that the government would continue to ensure that public service retirees not only get what was due to them statutorily, but also continue to receive the support and assistance that would add value to their lives in retirement.

He said the initiative of the training was to prepare civil servants for eventual retirement and understanding of the trail-blazing contributory pension scheme, as understanding led to informed preparation, while informed preparation ensured smooth-sailing ventures.

“It is now public knowledge that the approach by Lagos State to pension management is far ahead of other similar efforts in the country so much so that the State has been loudly applauded and severally recognized for its exceptional excellence in pension administration, including awards and recognition from the National Pensions Commission,” he said.

The commissioner stated that the training was designed to equip civil servants with the knowledge required to fully appreciate and take advantage of the Contributory Pension Scheme that the Lagos State Government had been implementing to the admiration of all and sundry.

Oke said at the end of the training, it was expected that all participants would be better prepared to take advantage of the Contributory Pension Scheme and to face the future with assurance and certainty.

He also said that due to the success of the CPS in Lagos, some states in the federation had sent their delegates to understudy how the scheme worked in Lagos so that they could emulate the example of the state.

Director General, Lagos Pension Commission, LASPEC, Folashade Onaguga disclosed that the government had paid N23 billion as CPS to retirees from the public service in the last 15 months, saying government had ensured that its retirees were not allowed to suffered after leaving the public service.

She said Lagos remained the only state in the federation that had not defaulted in the implementation of the CPS since its inception several years ago.