By Yusuf Salihu Sansani
Pensioners in Taraba State have applauded Governor Dr. Agbu Kefas for issuing an Executive Order directing the immediate payment of pensions, gratuities, and all outstanding entitlements owed to retirees in the state.
The commendation was made by the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Taraba State Council, Comrade El-Nathan Auta Bila, during an interaction with journalists in Jalingo, the state capital.
Comrade Bila stated that the implementation of the Executive Order would significantly alleviate the hardships pensioners have endured since the creation of Taraba State in 1991.
According to him, many retirees have lived in severe economic distress for years due to the failure of past administrations to settle their benefits.
“If Governor Agbu Kefas implements this Executive Order on the immediate commencement and completion of outstanding pension and gratuity payments, he will be remembered as the first governor in Taraba’s history to decisively tackle the decades-long challenges confronting pensioners,” he said.
The NUP Chairman further explained that no pension increment had been implemented in the state since its creation.
He noted that the salary increases for civil servants, ranging from the N18,000 minimum wage to the N30,000 and the recently approved N70,000, did not reflect in pension adjustments, leaving retirees behind.
He urged Governor Kefas to ensure that pensioners benefit from all previous minimum wage increases to give them a sense of belonging.
“Beyond paying the outstanding pensions and gratuities, the Governor should also implement all the minimum wage increments paid to civil servants so we can live with dignity,” Comrade Bila appealed.
He praised the Governor’s declaration in the Executive Order that honoring those who served the state is a moral obligation and that their dignity is non-negotiable.
However, he emphasized that the most meaningful way to uphold that dignity is to ensure that pension increments automatically align with civil service salary reviews.
The NUP Chairman also lauded the proposal to deploy special outreach teams across the 16 local government areas to identify and document incapacitated pensioners who cannot physically access verification points.
He, however, appealed for the responsibility to be given to the NUP for efficient and accurate identification.
“We appreciate the government’s commitment to locating all genuine pensioners across the state, but we request that the Governor empower the NUP with the mandate and logistics to carry out this exercise,” he said.
Comrade Bila maintained that if Governor Kefas fulfills his earlier promises regarding minimum wage implementation and fully executes the new Executive Order, pensioners across Taraba State would rally behind him politically.
“Your Excellency, as you fulfill your promises to pensioners, we will stand with you. Over forty thousand pensioners and their households are ready to follow you into the APC. You are turning the entire state into APC members,” he declared.
