Next of Kin warned to report the case of death of relations to pension board – DG Namaska.
The Next of kin or relation of Pensioners in Niger state have been advised to always report to the pension board in case their relations who is a retiree died or risk the gratuities been withheld by the government.
The Director General,Niger state pension board, Mallam Nasiru Saidu Namaska disclosed this during the flag off ceremony of batch six payment of gratuity to retirees in the state.
Mallam Nasiru mentioned that the board has been receiving complaints regarding the conversion from monthly pension to death benefits due to the attitude of next of kin who are collecting the monthly pension of deceased retiree for several years without reporting to the board.
He advised that is important for the next of kin to ensure that they write to the board immediately their relation who is a pensioner died for documentation or risk not getting his gratuity.
” I want to bring to your notice that is a policy, that a retiree is only guaranteed for five year pension once the Next of Kin receive the deceased pension up to five years,he is not entitled to his death gratuity, so you have nothing left with the government”.
He further disclosed that batch seven is ready and assured that each and every retiree in the state will get his retirement benefit paid as at when due.
“We have prayed, and Allah has answered our prayer, and we will continue to be prayerful to God to continue to grant the farmer Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago good health,wisdon and the strength to be able to tackle the issue of gratuity and other retirees emoluments”.
He then disclosed that he is working round the clock to ensure that immediately after retirement in the next one,two, or three weeks retirees will get his gratuity paid.
The DG, Mallam Nasiru assured that the board has blocked all loopholes, all the leakages have been blocked,adding that the board will soon start Am Alive verification exercise to uttenticate genuin pensioners in the state.
According to him the exercise would less the financial burdens of the state government and appeals to retirees to exercise more patience as all of the retirees will get their cheques very soon, he added.