Tobias Sylvester
The pensioners in Kaduna state are in jubilation mood over the unexpected increase in their monthly benefits by Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that El-Rufai had promised to raise pension to N30,000 during a live media chat he recently hosted at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, Kaduna.
The governor had expressed surprised that some pensioners on the old defined benefits scheme receive as low as N3,000 to N7,000 stipend monthly, saying that he considers that as unacceptable.
In a statement signed by his spokesman, Muyiwa Adekeye, on Thursday, January 30, 2020, El-Rufai announced the increasement of pensioners benefits from N3,000 to N30,000.
He promised that the proposed increase will be tabled before the State Executive Council meeting and that the payment of the new pensions will commence once the approval is secured.
The governor said although the new minimum pensions will increase the wage bill of Kaduna state by N200 million, it is important to let pensioners receive decent pensions.
The State chapter of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP), had written a letter to the governor commending him for raising the minimum pension payment in the state to N30,000 monthly.
The Pensioner’s statement, signed by its state chairman, Alhaji Abdu Ramalan Kwarbai noted that Malam El-Rufai is the first governor to announce the payment of minimum pension and that it shows his concern for the senior citizens in the state.
According to the NUP, Governor El-Rufai’s decision to raise pension “shows the level of your concern for the aged and senior citizens of Kaduna State.”
The pensioners’ union also acknowledged that Malam El-Rufai is the first governor to pay the new national minimum wage.
Meanwhile, Governor El-Rufai has fulfilled his promise by enrolling his son as primary one pupil at Kaduna Capital School in order to lead by example and also show his commitment to fixing the educational sector in the state.
