By Ifeoma Ikem
Jigawa State Local Government Contributory Pension Scheme Board says it has commenced payment of over N1.1 billion to 570 retirees in groups, to ensure social distancing and prevent the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.
The Executive Secretary of the Board, Ahmad Fagam, made the closure while reviewing progress of the exercise on Tuesday in Dutse.
Fagam said the Board had adopted proactive precautionary measures to facilitate smooth screening exercise for 570 beneficiaries.
He said the retirees were formed into groups to in compliance with the social distancing measure, adding that each group had five persons to avoid congestion during the payment exercise.
“This is part of measures taken by the Board in compliance with the social distancing directive to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“As you can see there was no crowd at all because we grouped the beneficiaries, unlike before where we call all of them, no matter their number,” he said.
Fagam explained that the money would be disbursed as terminal and death benefits as well as balance of pension.
The secretary added that the beneficiaries comprised of 227 retired staff of the state, 86 staff of the local government councils and 257 staff of the Local Education Authorities (LEAs).
According to him, the Board is up to date in the payment of entitlements to retirees, including those who died in active service.
“The Board and the state government will continue to ensure the welfare of its workers for better service delivery and well-being of retirees after service,” he added.
