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Governor, Nasir El-Rufai on Thursday shocked pensioners in the state as he increased their benefits from as low as N3,000 to N30,000, saying that what most pensioners take home was unacceptable.

A statement issued by the spokesman to the governor, Muyiwa Adekeye, said Governor El-Rufai promised that the proposed increase will be tabled before the State Executive Council meeting and that the payment of the new pensions will commence once the approval is secured. Also He quoted the governor as saying that although the new minimum pensions will increase the wage bill of Kaduna state by N200 million, the state government believes that it is important to let pensioners receive decent pensions. The State chapter of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners(NUP), had written a letter to the governor commending him for raising the minimum pension payment in the state to N30,000 monthly. The Pensioner’s statement, signed by its state chairman, Alhaji Abdu Ramalan Kwarbai noted that Malam El-Rufai is the first governor to announce the payment of minimum pension and that it shows his concern for the senior citizens in the state. According to the NUP, Governor El-Rufai’s decision to raise pension “shows the level of your concern for the aged and senior citizens of Kaduna State.” The pensioners’ union also acknowledged that Malam El-Rufai is the first governor to pay the new national minimum wage. It will be recalled that the governor promised to raise pension to N30,000 during alive media chat he recently hosted at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, Kaduna