BY TUKURA MATTHEW
There is doubt that the ultimate desire of any Civil Servant after putting in thirty-five (35) years of service is to retire home and wait for his or her entitlements.
Unfortunately, the fate of retired civil servants across the country has become a problem as many of them are wallowing in abject poverty as a result of corruption, negligence or oversight.
Over the years, retired civil servants from federal, state and local government levels have been subjected to all forms of deprivation leading to the death of many of them in queues awaiting their paltry pensions or gratuities.
Such maltreatment of our senior citizens aptly reflects the true situation in a society devoid of justice and fairness.
However, in Nasarawa State, the APC-led administration of Governor Abdullahi .A.Sule has been able to reposition the State Pension Bureau in such a way that the story of pensioners in the state has changed for good.
For instance with the coming of Alhaji Suleiman Nagogo , a retired Federal Civil Servant as the Director General State Pension Bureau , he has keyed into the A A Sule vision of compassionate pension management by being proactive ,timely and fair in the equitable disbursement of pension and gratuity.
The State government apart from ensuring justice, fairness and good governance that the APC-led administration represents, has been voting millions of naira for pensioners in the state in the last three years.
Suffice it to say that in September 2020, Governor Sule approved and released three hundred million naira for the payment of entitlements for about six hundred retirees in the state and this was followed by in December the same year approval and release of five hundred million naira for payment of gratuities to the second batch of five hundred local government and state pensioners.
In the same vein, the Governor approved and released funds amounting to two hundred million, five hundred thousand Naira for payment of death and retirement benefits for the state and local government retirees in the first quarter of 2021.
It was therefore an honor well deserved when retirees recently gathered in Abuja under the auspices of “The Foundation For The Care, Support and Advocacy For The Aged and Retirees in Nigeria” [FCSAAR] and honoured Governor Sule with the award of “ MOST OUTSTANDING GOVERNOR FOR THE CARE AND SUPPORT OF THE AGED \ RETIREES IN NIGERIA. Presenting the award, Barrister Noah Ataboh said the foundation unanimously agreed and honoured Governor Sule for his passion in handling pension matters.
Director General Strategic Communication and Events Management, Yakubu Lamai who received the award on behalf of Governor Sule said the administration under his boss is focusing on leaving a legacy of honesty, integrity , peaceful co-existence among residents in the state. Lamai said the governor has always insisted paying pensions on first come, first serve basis and has donated N2 million naira to the building of a National Centre of Restoration and Recreation for the Elderly and aged.
What is left is for pensioners in the state to give maximum support to the present administration of Governor Abdullahi Sule’s policies and programmes to take Nasarawa State to an enviable height.
-Tukura Matthew, is a Lafia-based Public Commentator
