Kaduna pensioners hail El-Rufai over regular pension payment, want continuity

Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP), Kaduna State chapter, has reiterated its support for the Gov. Nasir El Rufai-led administration, pledging its members’ votes for the governorship candidate who will sustain his legacies.

NUP Secretary in the state, Alhassan Musa, who spoke at a news in Kaduna on Tuesday, said that the union had enjoyed tremendous benefits, including improved welfare, from the state government.

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Musa, who commended El Rufai for not only aligning  pension with the N30,000 minimum wage but also, paying the entitlements of his members promptly.

According to him, what the pensioners in the state have been enjoying is unprecedented in the history of the union since inception over 30 years ago.

“Kaduna State government is the first state in the federation that had implemented the minimum pension of N30,000 since 2020.

“More than 11,000 pensioners have benefited from this increase.

“To our knowledge, Kaduna is the only state in the country that has increased pension to align with the minimum wage.

“Oftentimes, pensioners receive their monthly pension before the civil servants receive their salaries.

“The state government inherited a liability of N15 billion of gratuities and death benefits from the previous administration in 2015.

“By the end of 2022, the current administration has settled/paid these inherited liabilities to our members.

“Apart from the N15 billion which has been cleared, the administration has also paid additional N20 billion to pensioners as gratuity and death benefits,’’ he said.

The NUP state secretary further stated that government had also introduced “I AM ALIVE” thumb printing verification exercise for pensioners.

This, he said, had eliminated the sufferings of the regular screening/verification exercise that used to characterise pension payment in the state.

“It is noteworthy that the Federal Government is now emulating this verification method for federal pensioners” he said.

Musa, therefore, appealed to all his members in the state to cast their votes for the governorship candidate who would sustain ‘these progressive policies’ that would improve their welfare. (NAN)