Nasarawa pensioners partake in N4.3bn bailout fund –ALGON

Association of Local Government of Nigeria, ALGON, in Nasarawa State said it has included all council pensioners in the state as beneficiaries of the N4.3 billion bailout funds handed to them recently by Governor Umaru Al-Makura.
Pensioners in the state had given Al- Makura a seven-day ultimatum to pay their outstanding benefits or they would take to
the streets and other appropriate quarters to enforce their fundamental rights.
However, chairman of ALGON in the state, Suleiman Wambai, told journalists in Lafia, the state capital, that ALGON had already directed the state’s Ministry of Local Government to pay pensioners in the 13 local governments 250 per cent of their pension arrears.
He said: “I can assure you that they (pensioners) have already received a cheque to that effect. So, it is uncalled for when the pensioners are agitating. The only thing they have been crying over, which we have taken note of, is that they have not been paid gratuity since 2011.
“Nevertheless, we have set up a committee, comprising local government chairmen, to look into these grievances. And we must ensure that pensioners are paid their gratuity when due.”
On whether ALGON would source funds elsewhere to augment the N1bn shortfall in the federation account to local governments for payment of October worker’s salaries, the chairman said: “You can’t source fund to pay salaries. It is amoral.
‘‘That N1.2bn we received from the federation account is meant for all sectors of the economy, to pay medical, electricity, water supply bills, etc. But now, all the money is just going to the payment of workers’ salaries without much consideration about other sectors of the economy.’’
He stated that the money from Abuja is not meant for salaries alone, but now they had dedicated the money only for salaries yet the local government workers are not satisfied.