Hundreds of pensioners on Thursday in Kano protested at the Government House over the non-payment of their accumulated entitlements amounting to N30.9bn.
The pensioners, who marched from the Audu Bako Secretariat to the Government House Kano, carried placards with several inscriptions.
Some of the inscriptions read “Monthly Pension Deductions Must Be Stopped; Pay Us Our Pension Arrears; Resume Compliance To Pension Laws; Pension Is Our Deducted Benefits and Monthly Pension Is Not Taxable By Law, Why Deduction On It?”
Speaking at the occasion, the state NLC Chairman, Kabiru Minjibir, who was in solidarity with the pensioners, said the state owed 32,600 pensioners N30.9bn arrears.
He said as of June 2022, 18, 111 pensioners had unpaid arrears with the government, adding that the problem had resulted in the deaths of many pensioners while many others had fallen sick with no money to settle hospital bills.
Minibar explained that the refusal by many government agencies and parastatals in the payments of 17 per cent deducted pension money had now reached over N60bn that had not been removed.
The NLC Chairman asked the government to henceforth stop the illegal deductions of pensioners’ money which he noted contravened the 2016 Pension Law which prohibited deductions of pensioners’ funds and mandated agencies and parastatals to pay as and when due.
“Failure to do this might result in pensioners taking the last option, which is legal action. But we know and believe that Governor Abdullahi Ganduje has his people in his heart as can be seen in the monthly payment of pension allowances and salaries,” he said.
In his remarks, the State Head of Service who doubles as the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Usman Bala, said the accumulated unpaid pension arrears could be traced to the administrations of Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, and Rabiu Kwankwaso, which was inherited by Ganduje.
He said it was known to all that Kwankwaso used the pension money to build houses in the state to the detriment of the pensioners and the houses were now laying waste without anybody using them.
“But despite all these negative tendencies, our government now is paying monthly pension allowances, and also trying to pay some gratuity; but one should know that the nation is facing a serious cash crunch and Kano is not exceptional,” Bala stated.
