*insist payments politicised
*govt heaps blame on previous administration
By; JABIRU A HASSAN, Kano
Pensioners in Kano State have called on Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje to settle their long awaited gratuities to ease the pains of those who have retired after serving the state in accordance with labour laws.
Staging a protest in Kano, the Pensioners from all the 44 local government areas, stormed the Kano Government House, calling on the state government to pay them their entitlements in order to reap the sweat of their labour.
Speaking in support of the protesters, the state’s chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress )NLC), Comrade Ado Minjibir said that it is time for the present administration to pay all the pensioners because they have been suffering for long without payments, which is frustrating.
He said that Kano State Government is owing over 32,600 retirees to the tune of over 30bn Naira, adding that as at June, 2022, 18,111 pensioners had unpaid arrears which also resulted in the death of many, while other fall sick due to non-payment.
Responding, the state’s head of service who is also acting as chief of staff to the governor, Malam Usman Bala disclosed that the accumulated unpaid pension arrears could be traced to past administrations as inherited by Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
” As you all know, former Governor Kwankwaso used all the pension money where he built houses in the state without the consent of the pensioners and the houses are now lying waste without anybody using them, but with all these issues, Governor Ganduje is paying monthly pensions and also trying to pay some gratuity, despite financial challenges”.
Speaking to our correspondent, some pensioners who attended the protest said, “Payments of gratuity in Kano State is something political, we have seen how some retirees got their money through the window because once you have somebody, your money would be paid. Payment of gratuities should not be politicised because it is a responsibility”. They added.
