Niger Govt Not Owing Pension Arrears, To Resume Gratuity Payment

Niger State governor, Umaru Bago, has stated that the government does not owe any monthly pension arrears, even as he set up a committee to resume payment of gratuity for both state and local government retirees.

Bago stated this when he held a meeting with the leadership of the State Chapters of the Nigeria Labour Congress and that of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners at the Government House, Minna, yesterday.

He said his administration had earlier commenced the payment of the backlog of gratuities to all categories of retirees in batches and had already paid up to 13 batches comprising state and local government retirees, but that the process was stalled due to some anomalies.

He maintained that due diligence must be followed as it is related to proper verification and that the payment has to be in series while directing committee made up of the Deputy Governor Comrade Yakubu Garba, permanent secretary of pension; the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress, and the Nigeria Union of Pensioners Niger state Chapter to work closely and produce a clean record of retirees in series for his approval so that payment would resume.

On the alleged arrears of monthly pensions, he clarified thatair that his administration does not owe any pension or salary arrears to both state and local government workers.

Also on the issue of review of the amount paid as monthly pension, for pensioners under the Defined Pension Scheme DPS, the governor directed that a verification should be carried out and the record forwarded to him for review.

He acknowledged the services rendered by the pensioners during their active years of service and therefore enjoined them to embrace agriculture as an alternative source of income, assuring them of his administration’s support through Niger Foods.