Kwara pledges to sustain payment of gratuities, pension

DESPITE shortfall in the financial resources of kwara state, the state governor, Dr Abdulfatah Ahmed has pledged to sustain regular payment of gratuities, pensions and other entitlements of over 12,000 state pensioners,

 Ahmed, according to a statement, gave the assurance during an interactive session with the pensioners in the state under the auspices of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, adding that his administration would also ensure that entitlements of pensioners are reviewed whenever the entitlements of civil servants are being reviewed. 

    According to the Governor, the state government would soon introduce a comprehensive pre-retirement entrepreneurship skill training programme for civil servants while a similar scheme was being planned for pensioners to be post service entrepreneurs.

He urged the pensioners to embrace the Community Health Insurance Scheme so that they could benefit from an all year round medical care at a cost of N500.

 The governor promised the pensioners that outstanding issues such as the regularization of entitlements of some retired school principals on special grade would be looked into.

     The Chairman, Nigeria Union of Pensioners in the State, Alhaji Muhammed Haliru commended Governor Ahmed and his administration for being pensioners friendly.

According to Alhaji Haliru, the state pensioners receive their pensions on or before the 25th of every month like civil servants in the State.

   He, however, appealed to the governor to explore possibilities of assisting local governments in the state on how to ensure that local government pensioners’ gratuities are paid up to date like those of their state counterparts