According to the report from the Vanguard, The Kano State Government has successfully settled the retirement gratuities and death benefits of 5,333 pensioners in the state. This was announced by the state Governor, Abba Kabiru Yusuf, during the flag-off of the second phase of the payment initiative.
Governor Yusuf detailed the distribution of payments, stating, "Those already paid were 1,291 state pensioners whose gratuities were between N1 million and N2.5 million, and a total of 1,440 local government pensioners whose gratuities were between N1 million and N1.3 million."
Additionally, the governor reported that 988 families and heirs of deceased civil servants had received the death gratuities and benefits of their bereaved relatives. "This included 355 families and heirs of civil servants whose death gratuities were between N1 million and N3.5 million, as well as 633 families and heirs of deceased local government staff whose death gratuities were between N1 million and N3 million," Yusuf explained.
Governor Yusuf also revealed that a balance of N1 billion from the N6 billion allocated for the first phase of the payment had been set aside to settle 1,216 state and local government pensioners whose screenings were recently concluded. Furthermore, he announced that an additional N5 billion has been earmarked to address the pension liabilities of 4,000 pensioners during the second phase of the payment.
Reflecting on the pension system he inherited, Yusuf stated, "I inherited a pension system that was deliberately broken, chaotic, and confused, with an unpaid pension liability of N43 billion which the past administration refused to settle. Pensioners were not being paid their entitlements. The few ones that were lucky to be paid had to surrender a substantial percentage of their benefits before they got paid the balance of their benefits."
He alleged widespread corruption within the system, adding, "The monthly payments were marred with irregularities and illegal deductions." However, he assured that upon assuming office, he halted these irregularities and deductions from the monthly pension payments and the emoluments of civil servants.
Governor Yusuf vowed to continue paying the gratuities and pensions of retired and deceased civil servants while simultaneously working to settle the substantial backlog of unpaid pensions left by the previous administration.