Nasarawa Govt Okays N2bn To Clear Pension Backlog

The Nasarawa State Government has earmarked N2 billion to settle outstanding pension arrears and other benefits owed to retired workers across the state.

The development was made public by Mr. Peter Ahemba, Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to Governor Abdullahi Sule, while addressing journalists at the government’s twice-monthly media briefing held in Lafia yesterday.

According to Ahemba, the governor’s action reflects his administration’s resolve to guarantee that senior citizens who served the state receive their entitlements promptly and without undue stress.

Quoting the governor’s directive, he said: “His Excellency has again approved the sum of two billion naira to be used for the payment of arrears of pensions and other entitlements.”

He clarified that earlier disbursements had cleared the backlog for workers who exited service up to about 2012, while the latest fund is targeted at pensioners who retired from 2013 till date.

He stated further: “There was a payment that ended around 2012 or thereabouts for those who retired within that period. So, this new approval will now cover from 2013 up to the present, depending on the arrangements the pension board will work out to fine-tune the process.”

Ahemba disclosed that the government is currently engaging the Nasarawa State Pension Board to perfect the framework for payment, noting that the initiative is part of broader efforts to drastically cut down accumulated pension debts.

He added: “The truth of the matter is that because of His Excellency’s determination to ensure that whatever is due to our pensioners, our pensioners do not suffer in getting what is due to them, he has decided to again make that commitment.”

He assured retirees that the Pension Board would in due course publish the full timetable and procedure for accessing the funds.