Retirees in Niger state have asked for an upward review of their pension to enable them meet up with the cost of living.
This call was made by retired Permanent Secretaries and Head of service in Niger state after the Annual General Meeting held in Minna. The Retirees stated that a lot of them do not receive much at the end of the month saying that it is disheartening that a lot of retirees are left to suffer after their meritorious service to the state.
They claim that majority of the retirees cannot survive with the meagre sum they receive monthly.
The newly elected Chairman of the Association of Retired Permanent Secretaries and Head Of Service, Mohammed Aliyu Madugu said that although the payment of pensions and benefits are prompt, the government may have to find means of reviewing the pension and gratuity collected by the Retirees.
He said, “We are grateful that the state government has been trying in its way by ensuring that pensions are paid as at when due but we are asking for more. There are people in the lower rung of the ladder whose pension is little and we want a review so that it would reflect the cost of living and live in the country
The Chairman appealed to the Niger state government to maximize the use of its members to conduct seminars and workshops for the civil servants in the state to revitalize the state civil service and make the workers more productive.
“We are determined to offer our services to improve the service of the civil servants in the state, we would like to know about how we can contribute from outside the service into the improvement of the service through various interactions, the conduct of seminars, workshops and others with the view to improving the quality of service delivery in the state civil service.”
The immediate past Chairman of the association, Engineer Abdulahi Ndaggi Aliyu urged the newly elected executives to work on the existing foundation that has been laid down for them urging them to look into the welfare of retired permanent secretaries and head of service in the state.He urged the government to tap into the resources being offered by the retired permanent secretaries who are experts in their field and utilize the resources maximally.
“It is now the responsibility of the new Executives to see that the welfare of the retired permanent secretaries is properly taken care of. It is now left to the executives to work with the government to see that these retired people are properly engaged because they form a very big reservoir of knowledge for the development of Niger state.
“If the government can tap into these resources, they will go a long way and Niger state would be developed. I believe that they can represent the state at any time, the government need to appreciate them and not allow them to waste.”
The association during the general meeting held its election for officials who will lead the association for the next two years. The elected members include Mohammed Ndagi Madugu as Chairman, Princess Racheal Yisa as the Vice-Chairperson, Mohammed Sani Berje as Secretary, Mohammed Tiffi Mustapha as assistant Secretary, Mohammed Bawa as Financial Secretary, Mohammed Abubakar Kagara as Treasurer.
Others are Isaac Kolo as Social Welfare Secretary, Deborah Salawu as Public Relations Officer, Ndagi Usman Wali as the Legal Adviser and Bala Kodo as Internal Auditor along with three ex-officio members.
Source: The Nation
