Niger Pension Board assures retirees of gratuity payment

All the retired State Civil service and their Local Government counterparts in Niger have been assured of payment of their Pensions and Gratuities by the Director General Niger State Pensions Board, Malam Nashiru Saidu Namaska.

Niger Pension Board has said it has cleared about Nine hundred and eighty-eight state pensioners their gratuity since the commencement of the payment exercise in the state.

The Director General, Niger State Pension Board, Alhaji Nasiru Saidu Namaska gave the assurance in an interview with the newsmen shortly after addressing pensioners at a meeting organised by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the state and local governments pensioners in Minna, the state capital at the weekend.

According to him, the board has also verified 18, 030 (eighteen thousand and thirty ) State and local government pensioners.

He stated that about  335(three hundred and thirty-five) retirees were settled in the first batch, while255 (two hundred and fifty-five), as well as 207(two hundred and seven) including 191 (one hundred and ninety-one) were paid fully in batches two, three and four respectively, highlighting that payment of batch five is already out for the commencement of payment on Tuesday, September 17, 2024.

Alhaji Nasiru Saidu Namaska said the incumbent Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago- led administration has the plights of pensioners at heart and has set aside the sum of N25billion (twenty-five billion naira) to clear payment of outstanding pensions and gratuities to retirees in both state and local government areas in the state which was dated back to 2003 till date.

The DG, Niger  State Pensions Board stated further that the board has paid batches one and two of local government retirees, which were formerly suspended due to some administrative issues, assuring that it will commence as soon as the problem is rectified just as he noted that the board had paid batches one to four of the state pensioners stressing that batch five of the state retired civil servants are also ready for payment.

He advised retirees in the state to exercise some  patience while the gratuities payment progresses,  assuring that all verified pensioners will be paid but on first come, first served basis by the directives of the State Governor, His Excellency Hon.  Mohammed  Umaru Bago, in conjunction with the organised Labour Leaders in the State to ensure that everyone gets paid at the end of the payment exercise as at when due and in accordance with the laid down procedures by the Board.

According to him ” the introduction of internal control mechanism has been very effective in eradicating the menace of perceived fraudulent attitude  by some staff of the board,  including the challenges of missing files, saying, “now, every staff is responsible and accountable for files treated by him or her, as their names and signatures were put in the files treated by them individually.

In his earlier remarks, the Chairman, Joint Action Committee pensioners, Comrade Daniel Zitta sent a passionate appeal on behalf of the retirees in the state and local government areas to the State  Governor, Mohammed.

Umaru  Bago, for upward review of monthly Pensions for retirees in line with the prescribed five-year mandatory law, appreciated the Governor for listening to the cries of retirees to be paid their retirement benefits when they’re still alive by his administration in the State.

Zitta mentioned that Pensioners in the state are indeed fortunate to have Alhaji Nasiru Saidu Namaska at the helm of the affairs adding that his display of transparency in the conduct of his official duty is highly recommendable, while pensioners are deeply grateful to him and his entire management and staff of the State Pension Board.

The PAC chairman also appreciated the Director General Niger State Pension Board for his efforts in transforming the retirees’  biometric capturing individually, audit and automation of pensioners roasters for easy identification of legitimate/ genuine pensioners in the state,  adding that it will curb malpractices in the system.