The National Union of Pensioners (NUP), Kaduna State chapter, has appealed to Governor Uba Sani to take urgent to steps to pay the outstanding N20 billion pension liabilities being owed its members
Its State Secretary, Alhassan Balarabe-Musa, made the call on Thursday in Kaduna to coincide with the 2025 International Workers’ Day (May Day).
According to the scribe, recalled that Sani had inherited over N30 billion pension liabilities when he assumed office on May 29,2023.
He said: “The Governor has paid over N3.6billion in 2023. In all, he has paid over N10.4billion from then to date.
“We are grateful that he has settled part of the pension liabilities he has inherited but more efforts should be made in this direction.”
Musa however lamented those under the contributory pension scheme were yet to receive a Kobo from 2017 to date.
According to him, those who were disengaged in 2017, especially under the local governments are yet to be paid as their records are still missing.
He urged, “The union is therefore appealing to the governor to do the needful for this category of pitiable pensioners to get their entitlements as soon as possible.
“This will greatly help in alleviating their suffering as most of them and their dependents are now living from hand to mouth.”
Musa also called on Sani to implement the N32,000 pension increase for the pensioners as directed by a recent Federal Government’s circular.
He said, “So, if the pension increase is implemented, Kaduna state pensioners will receive a minimum monthly pension of N62,000.00.
“I want the governor to be the second one to implement it as only Yobe is the only state that has so far done so across Nigeria.
“He should emulate his predecessor who was the first governor to implement the N30,000 minimum pension in February 2020.”
The NUP scribe further urged the governor to provide a plot of land for it to build a befitting State Secretariat.
He decried, ” The union had 15 houses at the Marafa Estate in Kaduna city, which were sold some few weeks before the last administration handed over to the current one.
“The exercise violated all extant due process regulations as the houses were sold at a paltry sum of N200million, with even no records to where the money went.
“We, therefore, want the governor to probe these sales, revoke the sales and retrieve these houses for NUP.”
Musa also appealed to Sani to provide an 18-seater bus go the union to bolster its activities.
All the trade unions in the state had been given vehicles by the state government, except NUP.
