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Pensioners in Niger State have appealed to Governor Muhammad Bago to punish staff of pension board involved in the stealing of pension funds.
This was among the submissions of the pensioners during the meeting of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) on Pension Matters, at the Tennis Club, Minna on Wednesday.
Speaking with The Guardian, the pensioners raised concerns over failure of the authorities to sanction the indicted civil servants, adding that instead of punishing them, majority of those dismissed from the service during Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, were brought back to service.
According to them, fraud perpetrated in the pension board over the years caused hardship to many pensioners, leading to the loss of lives of those who could not get their retirement benefits.
The pensioners also expressed worry that the indicted civil servants were walking freely in the streets; hence, the need for Governor Bago to use his good offices to re-visit the case, and punish, accordingly, those involved.
Chairman of the joint committee, Daniel Zitta, explained to the pensioners that his committee, in collaboration with Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Niger State chapter, had been working tirelessly to address all the challenges confronting the payment of their entitlements, noting that all the critical issues hindering the payment had been resolved.
Zitta commended the Director General, Niger State Pensions Board, Nasir Namaska, for his efforts to scrutinise the records of pensioners across the state, pointing out that the exercise led to the discovery of millions of naira stolen from the board.
He had revealed that every necessary arrangement had been concluded for the commencement of gratuity payment to pensioners from April 2024, and lauded the governor for his concern.
The chairman urged pensioners to cooperate with NUP officials to enable the committee to achieve its desired objectives.
