Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has ordered the release of N3.8 billion to the state Pension Bureau for immediate payment of gratuities, death benefits and accrued rights in the Contributory Pension Scheme.
In a statement issued by the Governor's Chief Press Secretary, Ibraheem Musa, the Governor gave the order on compassionate grounds, after considering the passionate pleas of the pensioners and families of deceased civil servants, who complained that the ongoing verification exercise had impacted negatively on their living conditions.
Sani restated the fact that the verification exercise was aimed at weeding out “ghost” pensioners from the payroll in order to curtail the frittering away of the State's meagre resources, and ordered the Pension Bureau to immediately commence the payment of pensioners.
The Governor assured pensioners of his unwavering commitment to their welfare, saying, “it is in furtherance of this commitment, that l determined to clean up the payroll to ensure seamless and uninterrupted payment of monthly pensions.”
The Governor noted that the senior citizens devoted their lives to the service of the state and must be given all the needed support to make them happy in retirement, while assuring the speedy completion of the verification exercise so that the state pensioners will enjoy uninterrupted payment.
He thanked the pensioners for their patience, understanding and continued support to his administration, saying that since assuming office in May 2023, he has paid gratuities, death benefits and accrued rights to the tune of N6.6 billion.
