Governors Abba Yusuf of Kano State, Umaru Bago of Niger and Umar Namadi of Jigawa were on Tuesday conferred with the award of Pensioners-friendly Governors by the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP.
The NUP conferred the award on the governors during its 12th Quadrennial National Delegates Conference in Kano.
The award recognised the governors’ contributions to the welfare of pensioners in their respective states.
In his remarks, Bago expressed gratitude for the award, stating that it would inspire him to do more for pensioners.
He announced plans to establish a pensioners farm to enable them to sustain their livelihoods.
He said the initiative aligned with his administration’s efforts to enhance agricultural productivity of Niger.
The governor said the state had been promoting agricultural development, including distributing tractors to farmers and implementing empowerment programmes for the youth and women.
He pledged a donation of N100 million to union thanked Yusuf for hosting the conference.
On his part, Mr Yusuf, represented by his Deputy, Abdulsalam Gwarzo, highlighted his administration’s commitment to enhancing the lives of pensioners.
He said that his administration had so far settled retirement benefits worth over N16 billion while addressing other challenges faced by retirees in accessing their benefits.
The President of NUP, Mazi Godwin Abumisi, said the awards were in recognition of the governors’ contributions to the well-being of pensioners.
Mr Abumisi said that settling pension and gratuity arrears had significantly addressed economic challenges faced by the senior citizens.
The President of Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, represented by Kabiru Minjibir, described the conference as timely and urged participants to focus on enhancing senior citizens’ welfare.
The conference attracted delegates from all parts of the federation.
NAN
