Nigeria Union of Pensioners Honours Gaidam, Badaru, Others

 

The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has conferred awards of excellence for consistent and regular payment of salaries, pensions and gratuities to H.E Governor Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe State and his Jigawa and Ogun State counterparts, Muhammadu Badaru Abubakar and Ibikunle Amosun respectively.

NUP National President Dr. Abel Afolayan said in many states across the country, “pensioners are owed gratuities and pensions running into several months or even many years”.

He said, however, that Governor Gaidam and others who received the awards “have made payment of pension a top priority of their administrations.

“We call them governors of exemplary leadership qualities worthy of emulation”, Dr. Afolayan said.

In his acceptance speech, H.E Gov. Gaidam thanked the NUP for recognising the effort of the Yobe State Government in supporting retirees and active duty civil servants. He said the award will spur him to continue to do more for pensioners and their families.

“Let me say that the cumulative effect of our reform measures in public financial management has resulted in high standard of accountability and prudent management of scarce resources. This made the Yobe State Government to remain above board in paying salaries, overheads, pensions and gratuities and even undertake capital projects at this period of economic difficulties”, the governor said.

H.E Gov. Gaidam said as a deliberate policy, the Yobe State Government has made salary and pension payments as first line charge before any other expenditures, making those payments continuous and unfailing.

 

The governor also spoke about his administration’s ‘owner-occupier’ housing scheme, where civil servants residing in government owned houses are given 65 per cent discount to enable them own the houses after paying the rest 35 per cent over the course of 10-15 years.

He said the scheme is meant to assist civil servants own houses they could call home and give them the comfort of knowing they have a roof over their heads at the end of a day’s work.

The award ceremony in Kaduna was attended by dignitaries and people all across Yobe State, who converged on Kaduna to show solidarity with the governor and associate themselves with his hard work of moving the state forward.

Yobe State Gov’t