By Our Correspondent
The Jigawa State and Local Governments Contributory Pension Scheme Board has commenced payment of over N3.4billion to 1,331 who exited from active service on attainment of thirty five years in service between January to July this year and those who died while in active service.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Director Administration and Finance of the Scheme, Alhaji Nasiru Haruna.
The statement disclosed that, the payment was categorized into four categories, indicating that the first batch of 1001 retired staff consist of those who retired either by reaching the mandatory retirement age of 35 years in service or sixty years by birth were paid N2,579,605,965.12 Billion.
Nasir Haruna who is also the acting Executive Secretary of the Scheme, said the second category of 241 staff are those who died while in active service, where their relations would be paid the sum of N730,367,087.60 million, while the third batch consist of 84 retirees who retired from service and started receiving monthly pension but died before reaching their minimum period of five years after retirement. Those people would be paid N109, 561, 313. 67 million.
The last batch was beneficiary who did not contribute up to a period of five years, and the law stated that for every staff to qualify to be paid from the scheme was for him to contribute for a minimum period of five years.
Under this category, “we have paid one person, the sum of N2,705,459.02 million including 15% interest.
“Today we are going to pay the sum of N3,422,239,826.32 to 1,331 workers that retired/died from various State MDAs, LGCs and LGEAs”.
“The payment included retirement benefit, death benefit, death pension balance and refund of eight percent contribution”.
The acting Executive Secretary warned the retirees to desist from involving a third party in processing their retirement benefits.
“The Pension Board did not, in whatever way, ask a third party to facilitate and or receive any amount from retiree before their payments are done, our services are free; never bribe any of our staff for your terminal benefits, as we worked under guidelines establishing our Board in line with consonant of Pension regulations.”
“If any person ask for money within and outside the pension house to process your payment, is a fraud and should be reported to the Board for a necessary penalty,” Haruna told the retirees.
“The pension Board process payment of retirees immediately after the Directorate of Salary and Pension Administration forwards the particulars of the retiring workers to the pension Board” he added.
Alhaji Nasiru Haruna commended, Governor Malam Umar A. Namadi for releasing the sum of N3.422billion to Jigawa State and Local Governments Contributory Pension Scheme Board to settled outstanding Gratuities and death benefit to 1,331 retirees in the State.
“It is worth noting that in January this year, Governor Malam Umar. A Namadi has released Two Billion Naira as bailout to the State and Local Governments Contributory Pension Scheme to settled outstanding gratuity.
He said with the recent approval, the State Government had now released over N5.4b to the Jigawa State and Local Governments Contributory Pension Scheme Board as bailout and the Scheme has cleared all the outstanding payment of gratuities.
