Open letter to Kebbi governor over pension scam

Before then, pensioners in the state wallowed in abject poverty. Expectedly, the governor’s action attracted accolades from the public. Unfortunately, however, in the last three years, pensioners in the state have been plunged into another phase of misery and frustration through an organised and systemic exploitation, reportedly in the Department of Pensions, Ministry of Finance. […]

Before then, pensioners in the state wallowed in abject poverty. Expectedly, the governor’s action attracted accolades from the public. Unfortunately, however, in the last three years, pensioners in the state have been plunged into another phase of misery and frustration through an organised and systemic exploitation, reportedly in the Department of Pensions, Ministry of Finance.  
It is quite unfortunate that some people in places of authority are determined to rubbish the pension reform of the governor. Let me use this medium to call on the governor to, as a matter of urgency, order full investigation into the alleged scam in the Department of Pension, Ministry of Finance. I am afraid that if this is not done, and quickly too, the laudable achievements of the governor will be sabotaged in a moment. These achievements can be seen in the areas of education, agriculture, health, etc. It is expected that the governor would not overlook this anomaly as it is capable of destroying the image of his government. And the people do not want to go back to the dark days.    
Before the present administration and its reforms, workers were prematurely retired. This cannot be allowed to continue. As we expect investigation into the pension scam, I urge the governor to look into the following allegations: payment  of pension benefits are now on preferential basis. This is against the previously organised system of first-come-first-served, in accordance with dates of retirement; individual pensioners are being paid gratuity in multiple installments monthly.  This is against the method of block payment to individual pensioners. The allegation here is that the pension scam syndicate invests gratuities of pensioners in banks so as to reap monthly interests.
There are other allegations of corruption perpetrated through the use of ghost pensioners, withholding the pension benefits of retirees. I am a living victim of this unacceptable scheming because I refused to pay a stipulated amount of money as a pre-condition for gratuity payment. It would interest you to know that many pensioners have been sent to their early graves.
 It has also been alleged that the person who supervises this scam was due for retirement in 2012. What is she still doing there? She is said to have joined the Kebbi State civil service in 1978. Furthermore, it was gathered that gratuity sums are inflated, depending on the amount of money the syndicate requires. Once again, I call on the governor to act before his government and the people are utterly destroyed by a greedy few.
Jibrin Muhammed Kangiwa, Kebbi