By Dipo Olowookere
Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA) has organized a send forth celebration for 30 recently retired officers, who had reached the statutory age of 60 or mandatory 35 years in service between 2014–2016, at the Women Development Centre, Agege.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mrs Lola Akande, the state’s Commissioner in the Ministry, congratulated the retirees for meritorious service to the state, urging them to get involved in productive activities during retirement in order not to be bored as well as spend more time with family and friends, travel, and save money by undertaking ‘Do It Yourself’ home improvement projects.
She added that physical exercise is a must during retirement, saying that they should get some exercise through gardening and planting of some organic crops for personal consumption.
In her words, “You can learn something new as retirement is the perfect time to acquire new skills or pursue a new hobby. This can be achieved through one of the Ministry’s Skill Acquisition Centres across the state.
“Also, as retirees, you may choose to write a novel or book based on your lifetime accumulated memories and experiences which can be recorded in a memoir to your grandchildren and the community.”
She reiterated the state government’s total commitment to the wellbeing of its workforce during and after service through prompt payment of salaries, allowances, bonuses, gratuity and pension as well as other incentives.
In her remarks, the representative of the Head of Service and Assistant Director, Post Service Department of the Public Service Office, Mrs Bukola Durodola advised the retirees to take the issue of their health seriously, imploring them to spend their retirement benefits wisely. The men should not marry new wives while the women must not be swallowed up by the syndrome of Aso-Ebi and related events.
Modupe Gbadeyanka 
Adedapo Adesanya