1-2-2025.

To the best of my knowledge, state governments pension scheme was started by Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa, who took over from the genius Saminu Turaki, then called ‘the globetrotting’ governor. Saminu Turaki wanted to make Jigawa state the headquarters of Information Technology (IT), and Frog Production. He imported the frogs from China, and the technology for the IT from around the world.

Then ‘Comrade’ prince Sule Lamido’s mortal political opponent was the then serving governor of Jigawa State, Saminu Turaki. While Saminu Turaki was globetrotting, telling whoever cared to listen that he was travelling to “get investments for Jigawa State”, ‘Comrade’ Sule Lamido on the other hand, was doing his very best to undermine the excellent mathematician, by showing the world “the lies in the governor’s claim of industrialising Jigawa state”.

‘Comrade’ Sule Lamido once told this humble writer when he was a humble Group Political Editor with the Daily Trust stable, in his home town residence in Bamaina village, on why he was all the time attacking Governor Saminu Turaki. He (Comrade Sule Lamido) replied that he it should be remembered that he was “a Kingmaker, to be interested in becoming a mare King”. Well, the rest is obviously, as the popular saying goes, is history. 

But, for former Governor Sule Lamido, I am sure he would prefer to say that ‘a lot of water has passed under the bridge”, between the time he made the boast and the time he contested for and became the second governor of Jigawa state during the present Fourth Republic in Nigeria.

In any case, during the governorship of Alhaji Saminu Turaki, Mr. Lanre Oniru (something like that) of ThisDay Newspapers, was ‘Comrade’ Sule Lamido’s media consultant. Mr. Oniru was in the regul habit of inviting political editors of the leading newspapers in the country to Jigawa state at the behest of the person he was consulting for. I was then the Group Political Editor of the Daily Trust Newspapers. 

Meanwhile, Mr. Lanre Onilu is at the moment serving as the head of a Federal agency, which name I cannot recall. The position at Daily Trust made to also know a one time presidential candidate, now a leading chieftain of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) in the country, Mr. Hashim Olawepo (or something to that effect).

By the way, I am always advising people against  claiming to ‘know’ people who have ‘moved up’ on the social ladder, for the fear that they might give one the cold shoulder, pretending not to know someone from Adam. I used to give that advice to a sanguineous relation of mine, who would later call me all manner of names, such as  ‘stupid, or an idiot, or a fool, behind my back.

In any case, disowning friends and their like is the vogue now, when many people who have moved ‘upstairs’ pretend not to know their former friends, or colleagues or schoolmates, whom they have left ‘downstairs’. It is especially so now when ends are becoming extremely difficult to meet, courtesy of the many hostile economic reforms of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu clueless regime.

I should know, because some two people who were my senior colleagues and close friends, ignored me when they joined the ‘upstairs group’. Ishaq Modibbo Kawu, was at Daily Trust as the Editor of the main title and a very good friend of mine, before things changed when then President Muhammadu Buhari appointed him as the Managing Director and CEO of the Broadcasting Corporation of Nigeria (BCN). 

He it was who introduced me to his good acquaintance and friend, Mr. Olawepo, the one time Presidential candidate. But my boss and friend, the Chief Executive Officer would tell me that he was outside the country, whenever I called him on phone to exchange pleasantries.

It was no less so with Garba Deen Mohammed, a former Editor of Weekly Trust Newspaper and the famous writer of the column ‘Bark Bite’ at the back of the same newspaper. The first and last time I called his phone number, a woman disingenuously told me, “It is wrong number, please”, after some words were exchanged with an unseen person (I could hear some background voices).

Back to the topic of our discourse today. It is alleged that some PENSIONERS are DELIBERATELY not paid their MEAGRE pension allowance since  2024. According to some of the affected pensioners, in October 2024, “a over payment of pensions for the month of October was deliberately or mistakenly made to some over 2000 or so Pensioners.

A directive was said to have been given for the refund of the money in the immediate next month of November, after withholding the payment of pensions for which as acknowledgement of repayment received would be issued by the Treasury office in Katsina.

But after the refund of the overpayment was made by the affected pensioners, and dully received and acknowledged by the Katsina Treasury office, many are alleged NOT to receive their MONTHLY PENSION up to today. If the allegation is not just an allegation, but the. TRUTH, why is it so?

This writer very much understands the trauma that pensioners, and unemployed people like me, go through everyday, especially during this period of President Tinubu’s endemically CORRUPT, CLUELESS and TRIBALIST regime. It is definitely a time when the over-fifty-and-sixty-year-olds desperately need their hard earned money to MANAGE to survive in the poverty and hunger stricken Nigeria. For sure with no thanks to the INEFFICIENT government of President Tinubu.

It is therefore the expectation, hope, plea, and prayer of every unpaid pensioners that their pensions be paid to them without further delay, or before some of them finally MEET their CREATOR.

May God make the LISTENING administration of Governor Dikko Umar Radda, PhD pay the complaining pensioners their dues, and keep on doing so up to the end of his tenure of whatever terms.

Malumfashi wrote from Katsina.