Why we delayed pension payment for over seven months – Jigawa govt

The Jigawa State Government said the delay in the payment of the retirement benefits for over seven months is due to government’s effort to review and strengthen the scheme.

The executive secretary of the Jigawa State Local Government Contributory Pension Scheme, Alhaji Kamilu Aliyu Musa, stated this while briefing newsmen after the payment of over two billion naira to 746 retirees.

According to reports, Governor Umar Namadi inaugurated a committee of experts to review and find out the reason for the delayed payment of retired civil servants in the state.

Musa avowed that one of the reasons that affected the mode of payment of the scheme was over-retirement from the state civil service.

According to him: “The employment gap for many years has seriously paralysed the scheme as the number of retired civil servants is above the available funds.

“We earlier reported the problem to the former governor of the state, Gov Badaru Abubakar, towards the end of his tenure, where he constituted the committee, and the committee was later inaugurated by Gov Namadi after the election to address the problem.

“Part of the committee’s report includes identifying the scheme’s problems and providing a solution to the problem. Henceforth, the scheme will continue to pay retirement benefits as of when due or on a quarterly basis.”