From Taiye Joseph, Ilorin
The Kwara State Government, has raised concerns over the low registration rate of pensioners with the Kwara State Resident Registration Agency (KWSRRA), revealing that over 73 percent of them are yet to enroll despite nearly a year-long awareness campaign.
Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Hauwa Nuru, who disclosed this in a statement, warned that the government will now limit pension payments to only those whose details can be verified through the KWSRRA database.
“We have been on this campaign for nearly one year. Kwara State started almost a year ago. The government has given enough windows for all workers and pensioners to enroll. Now, we are left with no option than to pay only those whose details we can verify in line with our commitment to further clean the payroll and free up resources,” she said.
She added that the government had uncovered evidence of a payroll fraud ring working to undermine the registration process, and that the matter has been reported to the police for investigation and prosecution.
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“This cartel is deploying every trick to frustrate the KWSRRA process and the verification of authentic workers and pensioners. We are getting them,” she stated.
In a move to cushion the effects of rising living costs, the government has also approved an increase of N10,000 in the monthly pension of all state retirees. The implementation of this upward review will commence on May 1, 2025.
This decision followed an agreement signed between the government and the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JNC), acting on behalf of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP), on May 23.
