The Kaduna State chapter of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP) has commended Governor Nasir El Rufai for raising the minimum pension payment in the state from N3,000 to N30,000 monthly.
The union noted that Malam El-Rufai is the first governor to announce the payment of minimum pension, and that this shows his concern for the senior citizens in the state.
A statement by Muyiwa Adekeye, Special Adviser on Media and Communication to Governor El-Rufai, said the union’s commendation was conveyed in a letter signed by its state chairman, Alhaji Abdu Ramalan Kwarbai.
According to the NUP, Governor El-Rufai’s decision to raise pension “shows the level of your concern for the aged and senior citizens of Kaduna State.”
The pensioners’ union also acknowledged that Malam El-Rufai is the first governor to pay the new national minimum wage.
It will be recalled that the governor promised to raise pension to N30,000 during alive media chat he recently hosted at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, Kaduna.
According to El-Rufai, he was surprised that some pensioners on the old defined benefits scheme receive as low as N3,000 to N7,000 stipend monthly, saying that he considers that as unacceptable.
The governor therefore promised that the proposed increase will be tabled before the State Executive Council meeting, and that the payment of the new pensions will commence once the approval is secured.
El-Rufai said that although the new minimum pensions will increase the wage bill of Kaduna state by N200 million, the state government believes that it is important to let pensioners receive decent pensions.