The Jigawa State Pension Board (JSPB) has commenced payment of N3.422billion gratuity and death benefits to 1,331 beneficiaries in the state.
The Acting Executive Secretary of the Board Alh. Nasir Garba disclosed this in Dutse, adding that to the State and Local Governments retirees are jointly the beneficiaries of the payment.
“It is worth noting that in January this year, Governor Malam Umar. A Namadi has released Two Billion Naira as bailout to the State and Local Governments Contributory Pension Scheme to settled outstanding gratuity immediately after the Directorate of Salary and Pension Administration forwards the particulars of the retiring workers to the pension Board” Garba said.
“If any person asks for money within and outside the pension house to process your payment, is a fraud and should be reported to the Board for a necessary penalty,” Alh Sani Haruna told the director finance and admin of the board told the retirees.
He warned the retirees to desist from involving a third party in processing their retirement benefits.
He disclosed that since the coming on board of the present administration, the Governor has prioritized the welfare of Pensioners and workers in the State and that is why he inaugurated a committee of experts to review/appraise the State and Local Governments Contributory Pension Scheme.
He said with the recent approval, the State Government had now released over N5.4b to the Jigawa State and Local Governments Contributory Pension Scheme Board as bailout and the Scheme has cleared all the outstanding payment of gratuities.
The payment was categorized into four categories, indicating that the first batch of 1001 retired staff consist of those who retired either by reaching the mandatory retirement age of 35 years in service or sixty years by birth were paid N2,579,605,965.12 Billion.
The second category of 241 staff are those who died while in active service, where their relations would be paid the sum of N730,367,087.60 million, while the third batch consist of 84 retirees who retired from service and started receiving monthly pension but died before reaching their minimum period of five years after retirement. Those people would be paid N109, 561, 313. 67 million.
According to him, the last batch were beneficiaries who did not contribute up to a period of five years, and the law stated that for every staff to qualify to be paid from the scheme was for him to contribute for a minimum period of five years.
“Under this category, we have paid one person, the sum of N2,705,459.02 million including 15% interest.
He said “Today we are going to pay the sum of N3,422,239,826.32 to 1,331 workers that retired/died from various State MDAs, LGCs and LGEAs”.
“The payment included retirement benefit, death benefit, death pension balance and refund of eight percent contribution”.
