Niger Resumes Payment of Pensions

Laleye Dipo in Minna

Despite the ongoing verification of retirees, the Niger State Pension Board yesterday resumed the payment of pensions to civil servant retirees.

The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Board, Alhaji Nasiru Saidu Namaska, flagged off the payment at the Boards office in Minna during which he presented cheques for various amounts to the beneficiaries who formed the 10th batch of pensioners to be paid by the government.

Not less than 50 retirees-some of them retired permanent secretaries-formed the 10th batch that received their payment.

Addressing the retirees, Namaska said “due process” was followed in the selection of the retirees that benefited from it, saying: “We will continue to operate on our policy of first come first served.”

Namaska urged the retirees in both the state and local government services to ensure they go for their verification at any commercial bank close to them, adding that the exercise had been made very seamless.

The director-general expressed gratitude to the state Governor, Alhaji Mohammed Umaru Bago, for releasing the funds for the payment of the retirees.

Last week, the Board began the verification of the retirees in both the state and local government in a programme tagged: ‘I Am Alive’.

The verification, which will be carried out twice in the year, is designed to clean up the pension register to enable new retirees to be enrolled.

It was learnt that last year, close to N6billion was paid out as pensions to over 2,200 retirees in the state with some of them receiving their full payments while others got part payments.