Pensioners in Taraba threaten to vote out non-sympathetic gov’t in 2027
Pensioners in Taraba State have lamented the failure of past and present governments in the state to implement pension adjustment. They said retirees in the state are facing untold hardship as a result of the failure of the state government to implement pension adjustment. The Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP) chairman in the state, El-Nathan […]
kefas 3
Pensioners in Taraba State have lamented the failure of past and present governments in the state to implement pension adjustment.
They said retirees in the state are facing untold hardship as a result of the failure of the state government to implement pension adjustment.
The Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP) chairman in the state, El-Nathan Bola, while speaking in Jalingo, warned that pensioners, who he described as a significant voting bloc across Taraba, will not hesitate to use their numbers to influence the 2027 elections.
Bola criticised Governor Agbu Kefas for failing to implement the N30,000 minimum wage for retirees, despite his public pledge to begin payment in June 2025.
- Tax law: Nigerians to pay additional N45 per liter of pertrol
- Turaki: HURIWA cautions public against social media campaigns
“Pensioners are not hunting dogs for anybody. We will mobilise and support any reliable person from any party or religion without fear or favour,” he stated.
He described the governor’s unfulfilled promise as a serious disappointment to pensioners who had waited for a long time for an improved pension scheme in the state.
He noted that federal directives on pension reviews, including the 33 percent increase with arrears approved in 2014 and consequential adjustments from the N18,000 minimum wage in 2019, have been ignored in Taraba.
“While civil servants in Taraba are benefiting from the N30,000 and even the N70,000 minimum wage, pensioners have been left behind,” he said.
He also accused the government of mishandling gratuity payments for retired civil servants.
According to him, although Governor Kefas initially promised to release N2bn to offset arrears for retirees of 2013, only N100m was later disbursed, alleging that only a selected few junior retirees were paid from the N100m.