Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago of Niger State has commissioned the secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) Niger State’s council, built by the union, with a call to pensioners to support the ongoing reform agenda of the state government.
Governor Mohammed Bago made the call and said this during the commissioning ceremony of the NUP Secretariat in Minna on Thursday, where he advised all unions in the state to strive to sustain the welfare and well-being of their members.
The governor, who was represented at the event by his deputy, Comrade Yakubu Garba, said the state government will soon begin biometric data capture and automation of all pensioners to get the actual number of pensioners in the state.
“We have a problem of corruption; pension funds are not safe; the use of technology to sanitise the system is the only way out; and all pensioners should support this reform,” he said.
He, however, disclosed that the state government recently discovered on the website some pensioners who were collecting three pensions, adding that the ongoing reform agenda is to bring sanity to the system.
Earlier in his welcome address, Chairman, Niger State Council of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Comrade Ishaku Ndagi, said the secretariat was built with pensioners money without assistance from the government or any organisation.
He thereby appealed to the state government to include pensioners in the present New Niger Agenda and also commence payment of gratuities to retirees who are still alive and those who have died at both local and state levels.
Comrade Ishaku Ndagi called on the state government to pay the October 2020 pension allowance to local government retirees, harmonise the monthly pension, and resume payment of the contributory pension scheme.
He disclosed that the union planned to build a dedicated clinic for the health needs of pensioners and appealed to the government to assist the union with land.
In her separate goodwill message, Deputy Speaker of the Niger State Assembly, Rt. Honourable Afiniki E. Dauda, advised people still in active service to treat pensioners well and give them the needed attention.
Similarly, the National President of NUP, Comrade Godwin Abumisi, advised other state unions to emulate Niger state by leaving a legacy behind, adding that the secretariat will help in the development of the state.
Also, the Director General of the Niger State Pension Board, Alhaji Nasiru Namaska, who was represented by Mrs. Alice Ali, commended pensioners for using their resources to build the secretariat, which would stand as a legacy.
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