From Francis Nansak,Lafia
Following the recent garnishment of the Nasarawa state account, occasioned by a court order filed by some group of pensioners in the state, Gov Abdullahi Sule has described the development as worrisome and unfortunate even as he noted that pensioners are people you don’t abandoned.
According to him everyone someday will become a pensioner which makes no sense not to care for their welfare.
The governor made this known in his country home, Gudi in Akwanga local government area of the state during a sallah visit to him by members of the Correspondent Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Nasarawa state council on Saturday.
Governor Sule said it is quite unfortunate, adding that he inherited not less than four garnishee order and that the state does not have the kind of resources to warrant the enormous court orders.
He said ” Coming from a private sector background where the company has well over 4000 trucks, it is either one driver of the truck ran into a house or knocked down a motorcyclist, which at the end, you have cases upon cases of judgement, which you might not be aware that there are such cases and it leads into garnishing order, So I am very much familiar with that term.
“But what becomes so worrisome was that Nasarawa state does not have the kind of resources for the enormous numbers of garnishing order. I remember one of such order was that of a private radio house belonging to one Nawani Aboki which we worked so hard to settle.
“Another of such garnishing order has to do with compensation on lands.
“Then comes this one which has lingered for over three years ago, which is also quite unfortunate, let me tell you that since I came on board, what we have tried to ensured is to care for our workers and pensioners, because one day we will all retired and becomes pensioners if God lives us alive,so pensioners are not be to be abandoned just like that” Governor Sule said.
According to him, from inception Nasarawa state has not been saving towards upsetting gratuities of her retirees even during the military era, but in the wisdom of the immediate past governor, senator Al-Makura, he made some savings towards that.
He however said when the garnishing order got to him ,he made contacts with some top management of the banks at Lagos, in order to pay the July salary ,which sent some sign of reliefs to most families for the celebration of the Eid el Kabir, he expressed happiness with the correspondent for keeping to the tradition of the Eid el Kabir ,which entails that people exchanges pleasantries with one another.
