- Recommends board of directors for Kaduna Pension Bureau and Pensioners Union to end rift
From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The Kaduna area office of the Public Complaints Commission (PCC) has treated over 33,000 cases of administrative injustices between 2021 and 2024 in the state.
The commission said that of the 33,000 cases, 705 cases are still pending, but are to be addressed and dispersed with soon.
The Federal Commissioner, PCC, Kaduna, Alhaji Abdullahi Garba Abbas, disclosed this to the media on Tuesday shortly after addressing complaints of alleged administrative injustice brought before the Commission by officials of Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Kaduna State chapter.
Secretary, Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Kaduna State chapter, Alhassan Balarabe Musa told the Commission that it was against the Labour law for Pension Bureau to engage and register retirees/ pensioners for post retirement training.
Musa said labour law only allowed pre-retirement training for prosperous pensioners three years preceding retirement date.
However, the Executive Secretary, Pension Bureau, Kaduna State, Prof. Salamatu Idris Isah told the Commission that the Pensioners Union officials had met with the State government, agreed and embarked on post training for its members.
Prof. Isah displayed before the Commission financial implication and agreement reached between the State government and the pensioners which resulted to the post training at Kaduna Business School.
The Executive Secretary, Pension Bureau wondered why the Union should turned back and denied such arrangements when the training had been held for three batches, remaining the fourth batch to be held.
But the Pensioners Union Secretary, Musa insisted, saying, “We were made to embark on post training under duress by the state government. Where is the strength to do the training after retirement, when many of us are getting to 70 years of age, waiting for our children to take care of us. We expect pre retirement training, that is, three years to our retirement date.”
However, the Federal Commissioner was able to settle the rift between the Bureau and the Union, saying that, the Status quo remains regarding the post training of the Pensioners based on the Commission’s resolutions and recommendations to the state government”.
Reading the resolutions of the Commission, the Federal Commissioner said, “The pension Bureau should constitute a board to have Executive Secretary of the Bureau as the chairman, being appointed by the governor, to have a representative from the rank not below the Director from the State civil service of Kaduna State, a member not below the rank of a Director from Local government service commission of the State, an officer not below the rank of a Director from the ministry of finance, an officer not below the rank of a Director from the State ministry for local government, an officer not below the rank of a Director from the State ministry of health, a representative of the Nigeria Pensioners Union of Kaduna State chapter, a representative of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Kaduna State Council, a representative of Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Kaduna State council, the Kaduna State chapter of the national Union of local government employees and lastly three experts in public administration and law of the land, one of who shall be a woman appointed by the State government. The board shall meet at least once in every quarter. This is part of the law that established the pension Bureau.”
Meanwhile, the Federal Commissioner told newsmen shortly after the sitting that, “I inherited 33,000 cases from 2021 when I assumed office at the Commission to this year, 2024. The Pensioners case we just resolved is part of the cases. Out of this 33,000 cases, we are only left with 705 cases to be addressed soon.
“The Commission is where every party will come and go back home happier. Nobody is treated or favour above another. Everybody is being treated fairly and justly.”