* Bello


by Pita Chib,  Minna

A group, under the auspices of "concerned citizens" of Niger State has petitioned the state Governor, Abubakar Bello to investigate what the group called "large scale financial scam" in the state pension board.

In its petition letter the group expressed  concern that despite the billions of Naira released to the board for regular payment of retirees pension and gratuity, the plight of the pensioners could better imagined than experience.

The group in a strong two page petition letter addressed to the governor dated 11th December, 2019 and signed by it Chairman, Awaisu Guwahati Kuta and Secretary, Adamu Lambata, and made available to our correspondent in Minna, urged the governor to immediately ordered full investigation into the state pension board.

The group said,  "we have taken this decision to inform you because we are aware of your concerned for the plight of our retirees and the act of sabotage by the implementing agency.

"We wish to advice that you immediately ordered full investigation into the activities of Niger state pension board for the past four years".

They reminded the governor that the non payment of gratuity and pension arrears have created a bad image for the administration despite it good intentions towards the pensioners in the state.

"There is no doubt that you have approved and released large sums of money running into billions for payment of gratuity and pension arrears and the refunds of the 7.5 percent contribution for the past four years.

"This you magnanimously did to ease the sufferings of our retirees who have served this state for 35 years. We are very worried that some of these senior citizens are today still languishing in abject poverty because of non payment of their entitlement", the group further alleged.

When contacted, the Director General of the state Pension Board Mohammed Tinau described the petition as baseless, saying that the board has lived up to expectations as far as the payment of pension is concerned in the state.

He however pointed out that the petition is targeted at embarrassing the governor and not the Pension Board, "may be it is the governor they want to embarrass.

"This thing you telling me now has even gone to the governor, we have it with the Department of State Security Service", he said