Lawmakers from the Niger State House of Assembly have voiced their distress regarding the outstanding N28 billion gratuity owed to retired civil servants, highlighting the challenges these retirees are currently facing in the state.
This concern was raised during the scrutiny of the 2024 budget of the Pension Board by the state House Committee on Labour and Productivity in Minna. The committee chairman, Murtala Badaru, expressed his dismay at the neglect and marginalization of retired individuals in the state, emphasizing the necessity to alter this narrative as representatives of the people.
Badaru drew attention to the pension statutory allocation, indicating that the allocated amount of N400 million had been insufficient. He criticized the flawed budgetary system, particularly the enveloping system, where agencies and departments (MDAs) receive fixed amounts without regard to their actual needs. He stated that this practice is detrimental and must be discontinued.
The committee chairman expressed dissatisfaction with the Planning Commission’s handling of the 2024 budget preparation, stressing that the envelope system, allocating funds to MDAs regardless of their specific requirements, is unacceptable. Badaru urged Governor Muhammed Umaru Bago to intervene and ensure that future budgets consider the actual circumstances on the ground, signaling a call for reform in the budgetary process in Niger State.
