Amid the story making round on social media where Borno state Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum was quoted to have said that he has cleared outstanding pensions of Borno retirees amounting to N12 billion, some pensioners who confirmed receiving their pensions have urged the governor to review the pension which according to them could no longer sustain them.
Zulum according to the post which was obtained by our correspondent said, “Today I have cleared off the N12 billion Naira outstanding. This brings to an end the era of owing pensioners.
“It should not be recorded in history that our parents who laboured for the state for the past 35-40 years of their lives could not get means of surviving after retirement, even God will not be happy. It is expected that in the next 48hrs, every pensioner should have been credited in their accounts.”
However, reacting yesterday in Maiduguri, a cross-section of pensioners who confirmed that their pensions have been paid as at March this year decried that the last time pension was reviewed was during the administration of late Governor Mala, which was implemented by former Governor Kashim Shettima now the vice president.
The pensioners appealed to Governor Zulum to, apart from reviewing the pensions which they said some of them are receiving as poor as N4,500 a month, look into gratuity which was last paid in the first quarter of 2018 by the then Governor Kashim Shettima.
One of the pensioners who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said, “Our problem as pensioners is lack of pension review. The pension has remained stagnant since 1990 despite the persistent rising cost of living.
“Some of us are receiving as low as N4,465 as pension in a month. I have a wife and three children. I am expected to cloth and feed them. I am expected to take my children in school, and some us are relying on the pension because the last time gratuity was paid was in 2018.
“We are appealing to the governor to in the spirit of Ramadan, review the pension and look into the payment of workers gratuity. “
Another pensioner who gave his name as Adamu Audu, equally decried the non-review of the pension despite the present economic reality reducing the purchasing power of the naira.
“We are appealing Governor Zulum to review the pension to meet up with the present economic realities. The state pension which was reviewed 21 years ago needs to be looked into. So many of our members have not received their gratuity which was last paid in 2018,” Audu said.
