Mr Abdullahi Sani-Oseze, Director-General, Nasarawa State Pension Bureau, has said that the State Government, had increased the minimum pension of retirees to N5,000.
Sani-Oseze made this disclosure in Lafia on Saturday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
He said that the government made the adjustment in order to improve the lives of pensioners in view of the economic downturn in the country.
The Director-General said some workers, who retired from active service before the implementation of minimum wage, were receiving as low as N1,000 as their monthly pension.
“So we consider the plight of this category of pensioners and reported to Gov. Umaru Al-Makura, who directed that there should be an upward review of their pensions.
“No pensioner today in the state receives less than N5,000 as his monthly pension,” he added.
Sani-Oseze said that the Bureau had taken measures to address this issue, some pensioners having not received payments since the start of the Al-Makura administration in 2011.
He said the agency has directed that pensioners who have not received payments since the start of the administration come to the Bureau’s offices with the necessary documents.
“We have given them one week to come forward with their documents and the response has been impressive.
“Those who were unable to come as at December 22 can still bring their documents after Christmas; we will still attend to them,” the Director-General said.
He added that next-of-kins of those retirees who had died and were not paid their gratuities should also come forward with the necessary documents for prompt action.
Sani-Oseze gave the assurance that this category of pensioners would be the first to be attended to starting January 2018.
(Source: NAN)