The Niger State government has released N1 billion for the payment of pensioner’s gratuities in the state.

The director general of the state pensions board, Nasir Saidu Namaska, said during the official flag-off of the payment in Minna that no pensioner would be paid without being thoroughly screened. Nemaska said any pensioner who failed to submit all the valid documents as needed would be automatically ruled out of the exercise in line with the spirit of accountability and transparency. He explained that  N500 million each was set aside for state and local government retirees totaling N1 billion.

He said the state government was indebted to the tune of N14 billion in retirement benefits and assured that it was not relenting in settling such debt and sustaining payment in batches. Nemaska further hinted that the state government was owing N2 billion in death benefits in addition to N1.3 billion augmentation for pensioners that moved from the old to the new pension scheme.

Ada Peter