Kebbi State Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu has released another N2.5 billion for the payment of gratuity and pension areas to pensioners in the State, bringing the total amount of money paid to pensioners in the State to N7.5 billion since May 2015.
The State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) at a press conference in Birnin-Kebbi expressed profound gratitude and appreciation to the governor over what they described as prompt payment of their monthly pension allowances.
The Union chairman, Alhaji Usman Dangwari, reiterated that it is a well known fact to everybody in the State that Pensioners are receiving their monthly pensions regularly as at when due adding that this is the reason why pensioners in the State are not owed a single kobo in the name of pension.
He reminded the governor that, the minimum pension of those who retired before the salary structure in 2003, 2007 and 2014 is just N4,500 per month. pointing out that this has been so as a result of the non implementation of pension increase by the government.
The senior citizens also drew the attention of the State government to the fact that there has been gross under payment of pension and gratuity of those who retired in 2012 and 2013, noting that these retirees while in service enjoyed the minimum salary of N18,000 but unfortunately their benefits and entitlements were calculated with their old salary structure thereby creating a gross imbalance in their whole package.
He therefore appealed to the government to as a matter of priority harmonise the pension payment of retirees to reflect the current salary structures for civil servants in the state.
Dangwari on behalf of his members therefor called for President Buhari and Governor Atiku Bagudu for second term come 2019.
