Leadership Achievements of Alhaji Nasiru Saidu Namaska, the Director General of the Niger State Pension Board,Under the Administration of Farmer Governor Mohammed Umar Bago.
By Yahaya Zakka Minna
The Director General of the Niger State Pension Board, Alhaji Nasiru Saidu Namaska, since he assumed office as the Director General of the Niger State Pension Board, has digitalized governance and ensured the sustainable use of resources made available to the board in a very transparent, accountable, and friendly manner to the benefit of beneficiaries and the state.
The energetic, passionate Director General, Namaska, has given him high credit, above many of his predecessors, for his ability to take firm, decisive action. His consistency and ability to remain focused despite distractions, including deliberate efforts to frustrate some of his policy implementation processes. He periodically refused to be intimidated or pressured, standing his ground to maintain his integrity, trust, wealth, and family name built over the years.
His foresight, shun of sycophants, ability to change old ways of doing things by ensuring proper records keeping and ensuredation o,l pensioners in Niger State through Stateurrent capturing to have a data based of all pensioners hence the need for adding, up the new entrance by the implementation of “Am Alive” policy to identify dead pensioners, all in an efforts to correct the system for better service delivery and enhanced transparency and the accountability in the process of pension administration that was lacking over the years.
ensured Nasiru Saidu Namaska, a fearless and courageous leader, a political scientist, with vast experience, who was a deputy at the National Pension Commission (PEC), Abuja. His years of pension administration have made him competent and have helped him improve his sanity and achieve.
He transforms difficulty into an opportunity and keeps the spirit moving forward.
He has further introduced the Niger State Pension Administrator (NPAS), deliberately aimed at blocking leakages, preventing fraud, and other negative tendencies in the system, thereby reducing workforce needs and stress in administering pension activities in Niger State through a more transparent and accountable process. Although he has insisted, “Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right,” he has insisted by setting the record straight without ambiguity
The full implementation of NPAS will fundamentally change the narrative for the better by building confidence in the system through greater transparency. However, the transition from manual computation to ongoing automation has improved the system, where many pensioners’ files are now captured in a single goal, thereby drastically reducing monthly pension arrears and ensuring on-time payroll processing as it used to be. At the same time, plans are underway to open a call center to address pensioners’ challenges without necessarily visiting the board headquarters in person, as was the case in the past. Just as the board will also soon embark on e-payment to avoid manipulation and ensure a first-come, first-served basis.
Apparently, over the last two years of the current administration under the leadership of the Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umar Bago, the board has paid more gratuity and pension in the billions than past governments in the state, with full records of payments available for verification. However, what appears as a setback may be a quiet protection, and what feels like a delay may be a gentle redirection for the betterment of the state.
The son of a very prominent and most famous late Emir of Kontagora, however, prioritizes the welfare package, training, and retraining of staff to enhance contemporary knowledge, especially in digitalization, thereby reducing stress and improving service delivery within the shortest possible time, with better results
Alhaji Nasiru Saidu Namaska is a seasoned public servant with extensive experience in administration, financial management, and public-sector reforms. who dedicated a significant part of his career to service delivery, accountability, and improving the welfare of citizens, particularly retirees who have served the state diligently in their most useful years. He never bothered about the very few critics from those who believe in the old ways of treating pension matters, rather than the modern, digitalized governance process. “To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing”.
Since the assumption of office by Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, the Niger State Government has paid several billion naira in gratuities, benefiting thousands of retirees across the state and its local governments. This unprecedented commitment reflects the administration’s resolve to clear the backlog and restore dignity to retirees.
Moreso, Alhaji Nasiru Namaska introduced the “Am Alive,” a verification exercise designed to periodically confirm the status of each pensioner, aimed at ensuring that only genuine, living retirees receive pensions, thereby eliminating ghost beneficiaries from the system. This initiative has enhanced transparency, improved data integrity, and ensured prompt, accurate pension payments in Niger State.
On the assumption of office by the current State Pension Board Director General, he has recorded a lot of successes as a result of strong political will from the Farmer Governor Mohammed Umar Bago through improved financial discipline, adoption of technology-driven processes, and a committed workforce within the board. He has also strengthened monitoring mechanisms and ensured that funds released for pensions are utilized strictly for that purpose.
Notwithstanding the achievements, Namaska inherited significant challenges, including a backlog of unpaid gratuities, poor record-keeping, inadequate data management systems, and funding constraints. While making steady progress, challenges such as an increasing number of retirees, funding sustainability, and legacy data issues still require continuous attention to improve service delivery. He has changed the course to avoid a foreseen disaster.
To put the record straight, over the last two years under review, the board, under the leadership of the present DG, Nasiru Saidu Namaska, has ensured consistent monthly pension payments, facilitated the payment of backlog gratuities, and introduced reforms such as the “Am Alive.”
which is a mechanism that suspends unreported deceased pensioners from the payroll automatically upon notification by family members to the Board, once the pensioner does not thumbprint every six months at any of the commercial banks nationwide. These efforts have significantly restored confidence among the retirees in the state. We must note that ‘It doesn’t take much to do things, but it requires great strength to decide on what to do.’
Namaska, a believer in teamwork and inclusivity who always wanted to be
remembered as a reformer has restored dignity to pensioners, strengthened institutional processes, and laid a solid foundation for an accountable, transparent, efficient, and sustainable pension system in Niger State.
The Director General’s introduction of the Niger State Pension Administrative System (NPAS) aims to profile pensioners properly, generate a unique ID, and print a checklist of all pensioners.
While the Computation Sheet is used to compute gratuity and pension with supporting documents filed electronically, it also generates a computation sheet with the retiree’s picture.
The system enables efficient data management, reduces manual errors, improves verification processes, and enhances service delivery. Moving forward, he plans to fully automate pension operations, integrate biometric verification, and strengthen policy frameworks to ensure sustainability even after his tenure as DG of the board. “Idleness is only the refuge of weak minds”.
He had remained silent despite being a results-oriented individual because Nasiru Saidu Namaska believes in letting results speak louder than words. His focus has been on delivering tangible outcomes rather than publicity. However, he recognized the importance of public engagement and gradually improved communication to keep stakeholders informed about the pension administration’s activities in Niger State.
The Director General has been privileged to receive recognition from various organizations for his contributions to public service and pension reforms. He has a very humble personality, and he is grateful for the confidence reposed in him by Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, who finds him worthy of his expectations to bring meaningful reforms, address longstanding challenges, and improve the welfare of retirees. He has remained committed to achieving these goals without hesitation.
His humility, simplicity, dedication, empathy, trustworthiness, and uprightness are not in doubt. The Current Status – As of early 2026, the government has continued to pay in batches, following the successful payment of earlier batches to beneficiaries, with the Verification Payment based solely on successful “Am Alive” verification and comprehensive screening to ensure records are accurate before disbursement.
On the Batch Structure: The process covers both state and local government retirees on a first-come, first-served basis, including next of kin for deceased workers. Meanwhile, on the administration’s commitment: Governor Bago’s administration, in line with the “New Niger Agenda,” is not owing salary arrears and has continued to focus on the commitment to clearing the backlog of gratuity, uninterrupted Resumption of Gratuity Payments, and Reviewing Pensions, hence the need for Niger Government to commence automation of pensioners’ payments.
A God-fearing and very dedicated religious person, Nasiru Namaska, the tireless researcher, as described by many in the state and among some office staff, the Pension Board Boss encourages pensioners to avoid paying staff for assistance and to report any malpractices, emphasizing that the process is designed to be transparent and directly to the beneficiaries, aimed at curbing purported fraudulent activities in the board.
The Niger State Pension Board, under the administration of Governor Umaru Bago, is actively clearing outstanding gratuity and pension liabilities, with over ₦7 billion disbursed since 2016. The board uses the electronic “Am alive” verification to ensure payments are secured, with recent efforts focusing on issuing cheques for the preparation of subsequent batches.
This year’s annual pension increase will be 4.5, taking effect from April, 202, andh the same rate applies to both pensions already in payment and deferred pensioners. Governor Bago’s unwavering commitment to resuming gratuity comes amid efforts to reform the pension sector, including an increase in monthly pensions from N8.3 billion to N11.9 billion.
Active Payments: The state resumed payment of suspended gratuities, aiming to clear backlogs for both state and local government retirees.
Active Verified Beneficiaries: Payments are strictly based on successful “Am Alive” verification to ensure only legitimate pensioners receive funds.
On his commitment to Welfare, Director General Alhaji Nasiru Namaska is working assiduously to resolve outstanding payments, encouraging patience, and ensuring that all verified retirees are paid; however, pension gratuity arrears are being cleared in batches, with over 13 batches currently.
Consequently, the state and local government retirees processed under the leadership of Governor Mohammed Umar Bago’s administration to date, including Local Education Authority (LEA) and state and local government retirees, were being issued cheques through recent batches to be delivered in 2026.
Meanwhile, Variation takes cognizance of all variations for every month and the
Verification involves documenting, capturing biometrics, and filing all relevant information for pensioners electronically to ensure a correct database, as Acrue usually computes deceased pensioners’ accrued benefits where entitled. However, Gratuity Management tracks gratuity liabilities and payments. At the same time, the NOK Verification captures the Physical appearance of the Next of Kin (NOK) at the Board for physical capture and documentation of all supporting documents filed electronically before payment of the deceased’s entitlement.
The board is finalizing plans so that Pensioners can sign up on the NPAS portal, which will be launched very soon, to view their payment history, understand why they are suspended, and what they need to do to have the suspension lifted.
Similarly, civil servants on the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) can sign up to the NPAS portal and view their remittance history, as remittances are made monthly to their respective Pension Fund Administrations (PFAs).
In addition, on CPS: the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), the monthly deduction upload and deduction remittance history provide various analytical reports regarding pensioners and pension payments, and the retirees will be able to have access to their payment history, all aimed at ensuring accountability and transparency in the system in line with the unwavering commitment of Governor Mohammed Umar Bago’s New Niger Agenda.
What the present Director General of Niger State Pension Board, Alhaji Nasiru Saidu Namaska, needs is the cooperation, understanding, patience, support, and encouragement from all the stakeholders to ensure seamless implementation of the new policies he has initiated to succeed in enhancing a very transparent, accountable process of a leading pension administration in the country. Remember that “Responsibility can not be acquired intellectually, but only through experience,” and that is what the Niger State Pension Board has been experiencing in recent times .
