By LAWAN ISAH BAGWAI
Tears of happiness and joy today run down the cheeks of pensioners and families of deceased retirees as the administration of Kano state governor Abba Kabir Yusuf rolled out six billion naira for the settlement of gratuities and death benefit to the families of deceased civil servants who died in active service.
These categories of people were thitherto filled with uncertainties on how and when their entitlements would be settled after years of retirement without relief in sight. However, the administration of Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf act as saviour for the pensioners to feel a thigh of relief on the hopelessness situation they were in.
For governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, this is a sense of fulfilments on the part of his administration as he put it at the flag off of the payment “this is one of the happiest moments of my life as Kano State Governor”.
No doubt, the day and moment deserved to be the joyous of in the administration’s life. Settlement of the gratuities of retirees happens to be one of the cardinal objectives of the NNPP government in Kano.
It begins with stoppage of the selfish deductions of pensioners’ monthly allowances and workers’ salaries then followed by prompt payment of pensions and salaries every month.
The intention of Governor Abba Kabir’s administration is the settlement of all the 46 billion naira outstanding gratuities which accumulated overtime.
The first phase will see through all retirees whose entitlements and death benefit starts from one and a half million downward from 2016 – 2020 while the second phase would comprised those within the amount not exceeding three million naira.
This magnanimity would go on and on till all the outstanding amount is finally settled. Indeed joy and happiness as well as dignity in labour will clearly be restored in the minds of retirees and serving public and civil servants.
Indeed, working in accordance with the blueprint of governor Abba Kabir Yusuf administration would speed up the phase of development in Kano state in both human and infrastructure.
Lawal Isah Bagwai,
Nigerian Guild of Editor, Kano State Radio, 2nd December, 2023.
