Date: 2016-08-24

*'Govt to pay arrears' Kwara State Local Government pensioners are distressed over the non-payment of their pension and gratuities running into billions of naira.

The 4000 pensioners are being owed 30 months of pension, while some of their members that retired since November 2008 have not been paid their gratuities.

The Secretary Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Kwara State branch, Chief Samuel Ibidoja, told The Nation that majority of the pensioners , some of who are federal pensioners and retired primary school teachers, are also being owed monthly pension since November 2012.

He said the pensioners were struggling to survive because of the government's inability to pay their pensions promptly.

He said: "Federal and state pensioners with federal share received their July pension as at July 28 this year while they are still expecting from the state government. Majority of them are owed since November 2012. The problem started in December 2012 and in trying to solve the problem they stopped their pension completely.

"But they later started paying in bits. They paid 50 per cent in one month and 60 per cent in another month leading to outstanding balance. Those who retired in 2008 have not received their gratuity while those who retired since 1996 have been paid."

But the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communication to Kwara State Governor, Dr Muyideen Oluwakorede said the state has been paying pensioners in bits as a result of the drop in the state's monthly allocation.

He explained that the decision to prorate their pensions was taken at the meeting which comprise the Commissioner for Finance, the Accountant-General, all the 16 council chairmen or their representatives and treasurers, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) members.

He said local governments suffered a drop from N2.7 billion monthly to about N809 million in May and N1billion last June.

He said the teachers had been put on first line charge, noting that the teachers' salaries had become a challenge as primary school and JSS teachers' salaries stood at about N1.2 billion monthly.