Borno Pension Screening Committee reiterates commitment to fair and timely payments
By SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri –
Borno State High-Powered Committee on Screening and Verification of State and Local Government Pensioners, has reiterated its commitment to ensuring that all deserving beneficiaries are attended to and that ungenuine cases are identified and prompt payment of pensions are made.
The Chairman of the committee, who is also the State Head of Service, Barr. Mallam Fannami, made the commitment while briefing journalists shortly after the committee’s inaugural meeting at the Musa Usman Secretariat.
The fifteen-member committee were drawn from the organized labor union (NLC), the Trade Union Congress(TUC) and the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), has Professor Babagana Gutti as its Secretary.
Fannami further reassured pensioners residing in currently hard-to-reach local government areas that they would not be left out of the exercise, stressing that helicopters, among other means of transportation, would be used to reach pensioners in remote localities.
According to the chairman, the committee’s terms of reference include: ascertaining the actual number of living pensioners on the payroll in state, local government, and local education authority; determining outstanding unpaid pension and gratuity for all living and deceased pensioners; recommending a seamless method for the administration and payment of pensions; recommending measures on how best to track all living pensioners on the payroll on a quarterly basis to ascertain whether a pensioner is dead or alive, among other measures.
The chairman, further, said that the exercise would involve multiple sittings and visits to all local government areas to minimize unnecessary stress and hardship for pensioners.
He assured the Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, of the committee’s determination to work diligently in carrying out its assignment.
The Chairman appealed to all members of the committee to join hands together and be united towards the success of the committee’s assignment while assuring that the committee will complete its task within the stipulated time frame.