Gratuities: Pensioners hail Kano State Govt. for earmarking N6bn to clear backlog

By Abdullahi Yusuf

The Kano State Pensioners Forum has commended the State Government for setting aside N6 billion to settle gratuities and death benefits of over 5,000 retired civil servants in the state.

The Chairman, Kano State Pensioners Forum, Alhaji Ado Ibrahim D.Y., made the commendation in a statement issued to newsmen in Kano.

D.Y. said the gesture, as announced by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, demonstrated the concern of his administration about the plight of pensioners in the state “contrary to what happened in previous years.”

He said the decision would go a long way in alleviating the sufferings and hardships being experienced by pensioners and the families of the deceased ones among them.

The chairman, on behalf of the pensioners, therefore, prayed to Almighty Allah to continue to guide the administration on the path of righteousness.

Recall that Governor Yusuf told newsmen on Saturday that his administration had set aside the sum of N6 billion to pay gratuities and death benefits of over five thousand retired civil servants in the state.

Yusuf said his administration had, on assumption of office, inherited a backlog of gratuities from the past administration, amounting to over N40 billion, and promised to clear it within two years.

He said he had utmost concern about the plight of retired civil servants who finished serving their state but were not paid their entitlements.

“I always sleep and wake up with the issue of gratuities of retired civil servants in my mind. I always think of how to settle and clear this backlog,” the governor said.