Pensioners in Taraba State have applauded Governor Agbu Kefas for issuing an Executive Order directing the immediate payment of outstanding pensions, gratuities, and other entitlements owed to retirees in the state.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Taraba State Council, Comrade El-Nathan Auta Bila, gave the commendation while addressing journalists in Jalingo.
According to Bila, the implementation of the Executive Order will significantly ease the hardship experienced by pensioners since the state was created in 1991. He noted that many retirees have lived in severe deprivation for years due to prolonged non-payment of their benefits.
“If Governor Agbu Kefas fully implements this Executive Order, he will be the first governor in the history of Taraba State to decisively confront and address the longstanding challenges faced by pensioners,” he said.
Comrade Bila further lamented that despite several reviews of the minimum wage for civil servants — from ₦18,000 to ₦30,000 and the recent ₦70,000 — none of these increments were extended to pensioners. He urged the governor to correct this anomaly by approving the corresponding adjustments for retirees to ensure fairness and a sense of belonging.
He stressed that the governor’s pledge to honour those who served the state diligently aligns with constitutional provisions on pension adjustments.
“The best way to restore retirees’ dignity is to carry them along whenever workers’ salaries are reviewed. We are appealing to the governor to implement all pending increments for pensioners at once, to enable us to live a stable and dignified life,” Bila added.
The NUP Chairman also welcomed the proposal to deploy special outreach teams across all wards and villages in the 16 Local Government Areas to identify pensioners who are incapacitated and unable to present themselves for verification. However, he appealed to the governor to assign the responsibility to the NUP for proper identification.
“We appreciate the government’s intention to reach all genuine pensioners across the state. But we humbly request that the union be mandated to carry out this exercise, as we know our members and can easily identify them,” he said.
Comrade Bila further stated that if Governor Kefas fulfills his earlier promise on minimum wage implementation and fully executes the Executive Order on pension payments, pensioners in the state will remain solidly behind him.
“Your Excellency, if you fulfill these promises, the over 40,000 pensioners in Taraba State and their households will stand with you. You will have earned our total trust,” he declared.
