Kano State governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has accused the acting National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, of worsening the state’s social security crisis by neglecting to pay over N48 billion in outstanding gratuities and death benefits to pensioners and other beneficiaries, respectively, during his eight-year tenure as governor of the State.
Speaking at the official launch of the third tranche of a N5billion payment of backlog of gratuities and death benefits for retirees at the Government House in Kano on Thursday, Governor Yusuf expressed grave concern over the plight of the state’s pensioners.
Governor Yusuf, in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Sanusi Bature Dawakin-Tofa, revealed that the total outstanding gratuities had accumulated to over N48 billion, a situation he described as “the biggest social security threat ever witnessed since the creation of Kano State in 1967.”
The governor lamented that, under Ganduje’s leadership, pensioners were denied their rightful benefits for eight years, resulting in untold suffering. “Hundreds of retirees have lost their lives while waiting for their entitlements,” he said.
To alleviate the situation, Governor Yusuf announced that his administration had disbursed N16 billion in gratuities to 6,886 retirees in three phases, fulfilling a key campaign promise to support the elderly citizens who had served the state. He reaffirmed that the release of the funds was both a legal and moral obligation, ensuring the retirees would receive their payments through a transparent electronic system.
“We are not paying the pensioners in cash because we don’t have confidence in the cash payment, and we would not allow the irregularities that characterize the past administration to reoccur. You will all be paid through banks directly to your account,” he assured the beneficiaries.
In addition to the N16 billion payment, Governor Yusuf highlighted N846 million in unclaimed death benefits, directing the state’s Pension Fund Trustees and relevant authorities to trace the beneficiaries’ Next of Kins for payment.
Governor Yusuf also announced approval for an upward review of the minimum pensioner award from N5,000 to N20,000 to reflect the impact of inflation and its resultant implications largely on the purchasing power of the people.
