The Kano state Governor Abba Yusuf, has stated that the deductions made from pension funds by the immediate past administration of Abdullahi Ganduje were not credited to the state government accounts.
He made the statement while delivering an address at the second phase payment of N5 billion gratuity and death benefits to beneficiaries from some categories of 2016 – 2019, in Kano on Saturday.
The governor added that payment of pension is not a privilege done to the beneficiaries but a constitutional right that must be preserved.
Yusuf said the pension system run by the previous administration was corrupt such that payments to beneficiaries were marred by illegal deductions, to the extent that pensioners don’t even know what exactly they are worth.
“Deductions made to pentioners by the previous administration were illegal, they did it because they were corrupt.
“All the deducted money was not sent into the government treasuries. There are no records to that effect.
“They used consultants to deduct those funds and the funds did not return to the state” Yusuf declared.
However, governor Yusuf advised the pensioners to petition the state on those irregularities, while assuring that the state will conduct an investigation into the matter to recover their money.
“What the state government can do is to support you to get your funds recovered.
“I advise that you petition the stage government on why the deductions that were made and demand for your money.
“It is based on this that the full investigation will be ordered to ensure that those monies are duly recovered and returned to you” he stated.
Governor Yusuf handed a dummy cheque of N5 billion to the state pensions board.
More so, N1,940,586,786:96 was instantly disbursed to 1,140 pensioners paid by the governor through electronic pension payment system.
