Kogi Pension/Gratuity: Group accuses Bello of preference to Kogi Central pensioners

A Socio-Cultural group operating under the aegis of Igala Vanguard has accused Kogi State governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello settling and having preference payment of pension and gratuity to pensioners from the Central Senatorial district above Kogi East and West.

The Igala Vanguard condemned the disparity, saying it’s against the good conscience by any stretch of imagination.

In a statement signed by Engr Lawrence Akpa and which was made available to CAPITAL POST in Lokoja on Sunday, revealed that an investigation launched by Igala Vanguard confirmed that retired civil servants from Kogi Central and of Ebira extraction gets preferential treatment against their counterparts from Kogi East in terms of payment of pensions and gratuity.

it was further revealed that payment of gratuity for Kogi easterners not minding the rank stands at N100,000, while their counterparts from kogi Central gets a lump sum of between N1 million to N5 million as directed by the State government.

This is also applicable to payments of pension to beneficiaries, as people from Kogi Central, the governor’s extraction usually get maximum attention and huge payments compared to the people from Kogi East.

“This development is saddening and had being in practice in the last six years in Kogi State.

Efforts to confirm the unfortunate development fell on deaf ears, as many workers confronted in the State Pension Board confirm to our correspondent that there was a “standing instruction” from above.

The State chapter of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC and Nigerian Union of Pensioners, NUP in Kogi state could not be reached, as at the time of filing this report.

Some pensioners who had the opportunity of expressing their feelings confirmed that their colleagues in Kogi Central have subjected them to a laughing stock, saying with the Governor of Kogi state from the Central, they have edge in payments of pension and gratuity ahead of people of Kogi East.

“It is unheard of, the ongoing disparity in pension payments in any part of the country, except in Kogi State at the instance of the Atate Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello.”