By Muhammad Ibrahim, Sokoto
The Chairman, Sokoto state Concerned Pensionares Forum, Junaidu Ahmad has condemned the Sokoto state Nigeria Union of Pensioners for not showing the desired concern over their problems but mounting their interest as the most important issue.
He said the Concerned Pensioners Forum established since 2016 as a critic within the Nigerian Union of Pensioners backed by Union Constitution Rule 27, MEMBERSHIP RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES section (d) subsecrion (iii) have been envoking the union constirution.
Unconnected with the facts that in December 2023, a serving Senator, at the Senate Chamber confirmed payment of all outstanding backlog of pensions arreas before he handed over mantle of leadershop in 2023.
Meanwhile, the chairman said to their knowledge in Sokoto state, there has never been any backlog of monthly pensions but gratuity.
“This mandated us to conclude that the declaration is one of the 21st centuary surprises that has ever been made in the history of handing over the affairs of the state.
“As for record,the present Sokoto state administration inherited over N13b backlog of graruities and according to our source of information, the ongoing Gratuity Verification will come up with an exact figure”.
Given the aforementioned, the Chairman Junaidu Ahmad appealed to Sokoto state government to be more friendly to pensioners which will mitigate most of the problems.
Shedding more light on this, the Administrative Secretary of the Forum, Muhammad Garba Bazza said for the past 22 years the minimun monthly pension in the state which include LGAs, LGEAs, and state level is N4,500 adding that the highest paid monthly pension at LGAs and LGEAs stands at N42,000 which has to do with none implementation of N18,000 minimum wage and is of great concern to them.
The Sokoto state Concerned Pensioners Forum with the motto “Who Feels It Knows Better” stand on Let the trueth be told and the Backlog of gratuity and stark reality of the sorrowful state of Sokoto pensioners is highly concerned with payment of pensions both at Federal, state and local governments.
