9,030 Kwara pensioners petition Governor-elect Abdulrazak over N1.68bn withdrawal from entitlements

Nine thousand and thirty Kwara State pensioners want the incoming governor of the state,Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrazak, to investigate the circumstances surrounding the alleged deduction of N1.68billion from their entitlements by the Bukola Saraki administration in 2008.

The petitioners,  who belong to the 1976-1999 class of Kwara State Accredited Pensioners, are also asking the incoming governor to investigate the purpose for which the money was deducted from their entitlements.

In the April 30,2019 petition to the chairman of the State Transition Committee, counsel to the pensioners, Mr.T.O.S.Gbadeyan, said while the complainants are not asking the incoming government to mediate in their ongoing litigation with government on the issue, it should help to establish :

*Whether the Saraki administration withdrew and deducted  50 per cent of N3.3billion of the  1976-1999 class of 9030 Kwara State Government Accredited Pensioners’ Pensions and Gratuity arrears in 2008;

*The purpose for which the amount was deducted;

*Where the money is being kept;

*In the event that it is in a bank account, what is the name of the bank and who are the signatories to the account?

*Whether the money was used in executing any project and the location of any such project; and

*If the money was used to finance any project, was the said project a subject of any budgetary allocation different from the deductions from the petitioners’ entitlements.