The Niger State government has disclosed that it requires about N200billion to settle the entitlements of about 12,000 retirees from both the state and the 25 local government areas in the state.
The chairman of the state pension board, Alhaji Benu Ahmed, told journalists that the government was also able to settle over N1.4b inherited as pension liabilities from the last administration.
He said the amount was different from the N26billion the government had spent on the same project since the present administration came on board in May 2007.
Benu said Niger state government had paid a total of N26billion as pension and gratuity to retirees of both state and local government since the inception of the present administration in 2007.
He further said that no less than 11,904 retirees, made up of 7,249 (state) and 4655 (local government) had so far benefited from the exercise and added that between May and August this year alone, the board paid about N3billion, while the government was releasing N200miilion to the board monthly for the settlement of the pension arrears in installments .
The chairman pointed out that under the new pension regime, the government had paid N11billion while those in the old regime had collected about N13billion, and that the number of people retiring from the service in the state had now tripled in recent times because of the present administration’s commitment to the payment of pension and gratuity.
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