Governor Abdulahi Sule of Nasarawa State
By Nawani Aboki Ph’D
Ibrahim Abubakar (not his real name) retired in 2013 as a pensioner. Fortunately, he began receiving his monthly pension entitlement of 82,000 Nigerian naira three months after retirement. Like many pensioners, he hadn’t adequately planned for life after work. Apart from his civil service job, he lacked additional skills—unless you count raising seven children and managing a household as a skill. His modest life consisted of living in a rented three-room apartment and owning a rickety motorcycle. He held onto the hope that retirement would allow him to settle into a quiet life with his family.
However, reality hit hard. Despite completing all necessary documentation, Ibrahim’s experience diverged from his expectations. Unlike some of his predecessors, he believed he would receive gratuity along with his pension. Unfortunately, this hope turned into misery. Over the next ten years, his life transformed into one of struggle and hardship. His motorcycle broke down, and he barely scraped by to support his family. The monthly pension, intended to sustain him, fell far short of providing a living wage for a family of nine.
In Nasarawa State, the issue of pension and gratuity payments remains a recurring tragedy. While efforts are made to pay monthly pensions to civil servants, the gratuity situation remains dire. Pensioners receive meager portions of their gratuity, leaving no positive impact on their post-service lives. Retired civil servants in Nasarawa state wear their frustration and dejection on their faces.
With the coming to power of Governor A. A. Sule in 2019, he promised and initiated civil service reforms. His administration created a conducive work environment by restructuring the civil service. This included engaging both junior and senior staff, promoting deserving officers, and eliminating casualization of staff. The hope is that these reforms will alleviate the plight of pensioners and fulfill the promise of a dignified retirement for those who have served the State.
Thankfully, Ibrahim Abubakar was one of the beneficiaries. He received the sum of three million Naira. It was unbelievable, as he never believed in his life that he would one day receive such a substantial amount of money. Immediately, he repaired his rickety motorcycle and provided his wife with funds to start a home-based business. Happiness radiates from his face, and joy has returned to his family.
A contented Ibrahim expressed, “Governor Sule has proven himself a true leader who cares for civil servants. This payment has transformed our lives. May God bless him, and may he also remember those who haven’t been paid.”
Governor Sule is making significant strides in Nasarawa State. His governance style is legendary and endearing, even to the opposition. Supporting Governor Sule is not just a choice; it’s a necessity if we desire progress and development for Nasarawa State. Governor Sule is the one leading the way.
In the heart of Nasarawa State, where pensioners have weathered years of uncertainty, Governor A. A. Sule emerges as a beacon of hope. His commitment to civil service reform has breathed life into a system that once left retirees in despair. Ibrahim Abubakar’s transformation from hardship to happiness stands as a testament to the promise kept by Governor Sule. With each payment, the Governor reaffirms his dedication to those who have served the state faithfully. As Nasarawa moves forward, let us rally behind this visionary leader-the one who champions progress, dignity, and a brighter future for all.
Nawani Aboki Ph.D is A Special Adviser To Governor Abdulahi Sule of Nasarawa state on Media and Publicity.
My dear SA to Govr AA Sule, compliment of the day and best wishes. Having read your treatise on pension and gratuity 2, I was moved to say a word or 2 about the excessive use of incumiums to eulogise your principal.
By the way, I am also a retired public servant from Nasarawa State and is very much aware of what Nasarawa State retirees are facing. How can you be praising a government for paying pension of a retiree who left serve in 2013 in 2024? Had such a person died before now, would he have enjoyed the fruit of his labour in his/her grave? While it is your duty to lunder your principals image, it should be incumbent on you to highlight those salient things that matters and not celebrate indolence as a form of achievement. This form of mediocrity continue to make governors see their responsibility as doing favor to their people. This is very unfortunate. My own elder brother who also retired from Wamba Local government at grade level 15, in 2016, had his pension slashed by half and his gratuity of 6million Naira still pending even though others that retired after him have been fully paid because of politics and religion. Can any right thinking person aploud such a discriminatory system and expect people to keep quiet? As the SA on publicity, you need to excerse due diligence in fairness to your principal and the people. Out of the millions of retirees awaiting payment, how many of them has he paid that you pick a case of one individual and blow it out of proportion as if all pending retirement benefits in the state has been cleared.
The governor may be trying especially now that federal allocation has almost triple what used to obtain in the past but making it look as a Fulfilment of political promises is what you need to avoid unnecessary bickering.
Thanks and may God Almighty help us. Regards and best wishes once again.