Niger government says it will use 20 per cent of its bail out funds for settlement of all outstanding allowances of pensioners.
Malam Tinau Muhammad, Director-General of the State Pensions Board, disclosed this on Tuesday at a 3-day sensitisation workshop on “Effective Pension Management and Administration in the state” in Minna.
“I will reiterate again that Niger state government is not owing anybody monthly pension, both at the state and local government levels. Government had in the last two years been settling retirees on the old pension retirement benefits.
“Except the arrears of 6 per cent, 15 per cent and 33 per cent of which the board is putting modalities in place to re-screen beneficiaries so as to settle outstanding pension and related liabilities,” he said.
Muhammad said that the board has commenced disbursing cheques to qualified pensioners at both the state and local government levels under batch four of the payment.
He added that government had used N2.4 billion to settle liabilities of 1,617 beneficiaries under batches 1, 2, 3 and 4.
The director-general said that those pensioners protesting non payment where those who retired under the New Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).
He gave the assurance that government was making concerted efforts to ensure that all pensioners in the state are paid their entitlements.
Similarly, Alhaji Ahmed Ketso, Acting Governor of the state, assured pensioners in the state of the administration’s determination to pay their entitlements at all times.
He debunked the alleged missing of N6.2 billion of the 7.5 per cent civil servants contribution made on behalf of SUBEB and local government councils in 2007 and March 2015.
He said that government had carried out forensic audit of the transactions of the CPS on the alleged missing funds and discovered that N5.779 billion was remitted to the state pensions board.
Ketso added that a committee had been set up to investigate the matter to ensure prompt payment of pensioners outstanding liabilities under the CPS. (NAN)