By Emmanuel Pascal
As an ardent follower of Nigerian politics for years and a former resident of Kano before settling in my hometown, I found it extremely important to write about one of the key achievements of the Governor of my second native state, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, a governor who was elected by the masses to right the wrongs of Dr. Ganduje administration.
When we were growing up as kids in Kano, our parents, who worked as contractors for the Kano State Government’s civil service, would tell us how progressive politics made Kano different from other Nigerian states.
By the time old age forced our parents to leave the state, some of us who were born there continued to keenly follow the political trends in Kano.
I was discussing with my father, who has been retired for many years. He was telling me how the former APC administration in Kano created artificial poverty among the state’s teeming pensioners. I said, “Baba, that is an old story now. Do you know the red cap revolutionaries in Kano politics, led by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, have stopped that and have since cleared the backlog of pensions and arrears?”
I continued to highlight some of the achievements my father was interested in, and the conversation continued like this.
By prioritizing the well-being of retirees, his administration efforts in settling all outstanding pension arrears for those who dedicated their lives to public service, has provided much-needed financial stability in the state. This has helped in reducing the burden of uncertainty, allowing retirees to enjoy their golden years with dignity.
His administration also halted unnecessary deductions from the salaries of state workers and retirees. He ensured that their hard-earned wages remain intact, establishing trust and goodwill among civil servants in order to boost their morale and enhance productivity.
Within his one year in office, Pensioners who had waited patiently for years finally received their due. He earmarked N11 billion to demonstrate the state government’s commitment to fulfilling part of the promises made to its retirees.
Governor Abba’s administration also ensured that the families of deceased civil servants receive their rightful benefits. By settling death benefits and gratuities, his administration acknowledges the sacrifices made by these individuals and provides much-needed support during difficult times.
Father, apart from that, he has since introduced biometric capture of the pensioners in order to flush out ghost ones from them.
He also ensured that he renovated the staff office at Audu Bako Secretariat and stopped the deduction of salary of staff of the pensioners.
When I finished, Baba said that is wonderful, and he even told me he has a friend who was a retired permanent secretary in Kano. He said for his monthly pension under the former APC administration, the sum of 50 thousand Naira was being deducted from his salary, which has now stopped under Governor Abba’s administration.
