By Gistflash News
Aug 18, 2021
The Nasarawa State House of Assembly Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs has urged the state Pension Bureau to clear the two-month pension arrears for local government pensioners before the Local Government election scheduled to hold on Oct. 6.
Chairman of the committee,Ibrahim Alkali, made the call when officials of the bureau appeared before the committee for the bureau’s 2021 budget assessment on Wednesday in Lafia.
Alkali said that the payment of the pension arrears would not only improve on the standard of living of the pensioners but would also promote peace and development in the state.
” Ensure that you clear the two months pension arrears for local government pensioners before the local government celection on Oct. 6, 2021, ” he said.
He commended the board for being up and doing in payment of pension.
The chairman also commended Gov.Abdullahi Sule’s efforts at payment of pension toward bettering the living conditions of the senior citizens in the state.
He assured the bureau of the committee’s support to enable it to succeed.
On his part, Alhaji Abdullahi Sani-Oseze, Director General, Pension Bureau, while presenting the score card of the bureau appreciated the committee for supporting their activities at all times.
” We pay monthly pension allowances regularly as soon as releases are made from the Joint Account Allocation Committee ( JAAC).
” We have severally screened retirees with the view to removing dead pensioners and ensure that only genuine and alive pensioners are paid.
” The total number of pensioners currently stands at 6,268 and this brings down the monthly pension figure from N446, 515,629.68 as at October, 2020 to N380, 799,242. 59 as at May, 2021, “he said.
The director general said that the bureau owed local government pensioners two months pension arrears of over N760 million.
NAN