As Muslim faithful globally celebrates the new Islamic year 1446 today, governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State has felicitated with Muslim faithful on the symbolic occasion of witnessing another Islamic year.

The governor’s felicitation was conveyed in a statement made available to newsmen by his spokesperson, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa in Kano.

The Governor admonished Muslims in the state to use this day (Sunday, first day in the Islamic calendar) and the public holiday on Monday to reflect on the past year and engage in beneficial activities.

Alhaji Abba Kabir also tasked people to beseech the Almighty Allah with fervent prayers for continuous peace, stability, prosperity and economic development in the state and the nation as a whole.

He reiterated the unwavering determination of the state government to continue to implement and initiate policies and programmes that will have direct bearing to the lives of people of the state and empower citizens to be self-reliant.

One sector that suffered neglect corruption and malpractice during the recent past administration in Kano State under Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje was the pension .

Yes ,I use to frequent the Kano state pension Trustee Funds Office in Sokoto road to get update on pension and gratuity payment to the extent that I was well familiar with the former Chairman of the Board .

They always complain of lack of funds and non remittance of the deductions made from workers monthly salaries by various state ministries ,Agencies and Departments.

NLC and the Nigerian Union of pensioners became my friends .As my former working place NTA Kano use to refer any report in that aspect to me for coverage .To be sincere and frank the situation was very bad .

Retirees were always seen begging for even a part payment of their gratuity to settle their pressing needs ,even though pension was regularly paid on monthly basis immediately after retirement.

This situation put so much pressure on retired workers who must of them are aged unlike me who leave service at less than forty .

I have to use this opportunity to salut the recent effort of governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State for providing additional five billion naira ,beside the six billion provided last year to settle the pension backlog.

This is commendable as many families will exprience better life , many failed to marry up their daughters ,pay rents,School fees and hospital bills due to non payment of their entitlements after spending morethan 30 years serving their father land .

Governor Abba please continue to provide more funds for pensions,it will sanitize the wealth of Kano State and make your government more impactful .

Abba Hamisu Sani is the National Coordinator Society for Patriotic Journalism.
Email : timebasetv@gmail.com

The Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, has launched N5 billion second phase of retirement and death benefits.

The benefits cover entitlement of about 4,000 state and local government retirees.

In a statement by the governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, Governor Yusuf highlighted the administration’s continuous commitment to addressing the needs of pensioners.

Recall that Governor Yusuf had unveiled initial disbursement of N6 billion in November 2023 to offset backlog of entitlement incurred by immediate past administration.

Upon assuming office in May 2023, Governor Yusuf inherited a pension system plagued by disorder and corruption, where illegal deductions and systemic irregularities left many pensioners without their entitled benefits.

Governor Yusuf while unfolding the second trenche disclosed that his government was compelled by the mercy condition of the retiress who have been denied their dues by Ganduje’s administration.

He said the NNPP government is poised to rectify the injustices meted against the innocent pensioners who were not paid gratuity for the eight years of Ganjude’s administration (2015-2023).

“The initial phase saw the successful allocation of N6 billion to settle the retirement gratuity and death benefits of 5,333 pensioners, including state and local government retirees and families of deceased civil servants.

” This second phase of N5 billion, dedicated and aimed to settling pension arrears for approximately 4,000 retirees.

“The administration has established stringent criteria to ensure equitable and transparent disbursement, benefiting individuals with gratuities and death gratuities ranging from N1.6 million to N6.9 million.

“To guarantee the implementation process’s integrity, a distinguished committee comprising representatives from the Pension Fund Trustees, the Sharia Court of Appeal, the Office of the Head of Civil Service, and other pivotal agencies has been formed”. He said.

Governor Yusuf reiterated the administration’s unwavering commitment to championing the interests of pensioners, emphasizing that pension and gratuity are fundamental rights, not privileges.

He underscored the state’s obligation to promptly fulfill its commitments to elderly retirees as promised during the election campaigns.

Illustrating this steadfast commitment, Governor Yusuf announced that monthly pensions are now disbursed on or before the 25th of each month, free from arbitrary deductions—a significant departure from past practices, highlighting transparency and accountability.

The National Union of Pensioners Recently recognized Governor Yusuf as the most Pensioners-Friendly Governor of the 2024 due to his commitment to the plight of pensioners.