Kaduna Govt Begins Screening Of Pensioners Without Bank Accounts

The Executive Secretary of Kaduna State Pension Bureau, Prof. Salamatu Isah, has disclosed that the processes for the payment of beneficiaries of retirement and Death Benefits without bank details, have commenced this week.

Prof. Salamatu, who stated this in a statement on Thursday, said the beneficiaries will be identified by Local Government Pension Desk Officers as well as their counterparts at various Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government (MDAs).

She pointed out that 112 of the beneficiaries are in Batch 21 of State pensioners while 134 Local Government pensioners fall under Batch 19 of the category, adding that verification payment will be done next week at various zonal headquarters.

It will be recalled that Kaduna State Government had earlier released N920 million for the payment of Retirement and Death Benefits for both state and local government beneficiaries under the Defined Benefit of the old Pension Scheme on March 9, 2023.

In the payment schedule, state pensioners will get N400 million while local government beneficiaries will receive N520 million.

Last November, Governor Nasir El-Rufai approved N900 million for the payment of Accrued Rights for retirees and families of deceased beneficiaries under the new Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).

The Executive Secretary of Kaduna State Pension Bureau had said that the amount covered 54 batches for the state and local governments retirees and families of the deceased.

Prof Salamatu further explained that payment of retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme was being done by the Pension Funds Administrators (PFAs), adding that  government will only pay the past savings.

According to her, such savings which is known as Accrued Rights, are the retirees’ entitlements prior to the commencement of the Contributory Pension Scheme in 2017, and they are paid to PFAs instead of individual beneficiaries.