Taraba: Why I prioritise clearing outstanding gratuities, pensions

From Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo

Taraba State Governor Agbu Kefas on Monday said he has chosen to ensure that his administration clears all outstanding gratuities and pension obligations, and to ensure the prompt enlistment of retirees into the pension scheme, to alleviate the hardship that comes with retirement.

This is coming as the governor has approved ₦5 billion for the payment of pensions and gratuities that have accumulated for nearly two decades.

The Senior Special Assistant on Media and Digital Communication to the governor, Hon. Emmanuel Bello, disclosed this while interacting with journalists on Monday.

He noted that the administration met pension obligations and gratuities going back over a decade, while several retirees were not even enlisted in the pension scheme several years after retirement.

“So many people retire from service and are frustrated to early grave because their pension, which is their main source of livelihood, is not forthcoming. As a result of this, a lot of people manipulate their records just to remain in service. Others also involve themselves in sharp practices to siphon monies just to prepare for retirement.

“As part of our determination to reform the civil service in the state, we must restore the confidence of workers that they will not be abandoned at retirement. That will be a major boost to their morale and is a major foundation for whatever other reforms we have in mind.

“Since we came on board, the administration has been taking steps to clear the huge outstanding that we met. As we speak, screening is ongoing for pensioners from 2014. Already, five billion naira is set aside to settle them as soon as the screening is completed.

“The committee is also instructed to reach out to retirees who are too old or sick and the disabled in their various homes to capture them. That shows the honesty of the project. The idea is to ensure that all outstanding obligations are cleared and we put in place a system where people are automatically enlisted on retirement and they get their gratuities right away,” he said.