In a circulating story on social media, it was mentioned that the Governor of Borno state, Babagana Umara Zulum, announced that he had paid off outstanding pensions totaling N12 billion for retirees in the state.
According to Zulum, “Today I have cleared off the N12 billion Naira outstanding. This brings to an end the era of owing pensioners”.
This move was aimed at ending the issue of retirees not receiving their pensions on time. However, some retirees who confirmed receiving their pensions expressed concerns about the adequacy of the amount they were receiving.
They explained that the last time their pensions were adjusted was during the administration of late Governor Mala Kachalla, and this adjustment was implemented by former Governor Kashim Shettima, who is now the vice president.
The retirees appealed to Governor Zulum to not only review the current pension payments, which some said were as low as N4,500 per month, but also to address the issue of gratuity payments, which have not been made since the first quarter of 2018.
One of the retirees said “Some of us are receiving as low as N4,465 as pension in a month. I have a wife and three children. I am expected to cloth and feed them. I am expected to take my children in school, and some us are relying on the pension because the last time gratuity was paid was in 2018″.
One pensioner, speaking anonymously, highlighted the challenges they face trying to support themselves and their families with such low pension amounts.
Another pensioner, Adamu Audu, emphasized the need for the governor to consider the current economic situation, which has eroded the purchasing power of their pensions over time.
“We are appealing Governor Zulum to review the pension to meet up with the present economic realities. The state pension which was reviewed 21 years ago needs to be looked into. So many of our members have not received their gratuity which was last paid in 2018.”
The retirees appealed to Governor Zulum to prioritize reviewing the pension payments and addressing the outstanding gratuity payments to alleviate their financial burdens.
“We are appealing to the governor to in the spirit of Ramadan, review the pension and look into the payment of workers gratuity. “
