TheCable

Mai Mala Buni, governor of Yobe, says the sum of N667 million has been approved for the payment of pension in the state.

In a statement on Friday, Mamman Mohammed, director general of press and media affairs to the governor, said about 475  persons from 17 LGAs will benefit from the payments.

Mohammed said the government had earlier constituted a committee for the payment.

He said the intended beneficiaries have been screened and verified, adding that the list included names of pensioners living or dead.

“The committee has verified a total of 475 beneficiaries and hereby attached lists of beneficiaries and summary according to local government areas for both living and deceased pensioners,” NAN quoted Mohammed as saying.

He added that the government will ensure that all outstanding pensions owed retired workers in the state are paid.

The Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP) had asked the federal government to include its members in the distribution of palliatives to ease the impact of petrol subsidy removal.

The union had said its members are among the low-income earners in the country, adding that they have been made even more vulnerable by the downstream deregulation policy.