Kebbi Govt: Law Bars Pension Payment to First Civilian Governor

The Kebbi State Government has denied neglecting the state’s first civilian governor, Alhaji Abubakar Garkuwan Yauri, insisting that his exclusion from pension, gratuity and related retirement benefits is based on legal provisions governing eligibility.

The government’s position follows allegations by the former governor that the administration of Governor Nasir Idris had abandoned him and withheld his entitlements.

Addressing a press conference in Birnin Kebbi on Tuesday, the Commissioner for Information and Culture, Alhaji Yakubu Ahmed-BK, said the government had continued to demonstrate goodwill towards the former governor despite its position that he does not qualify for formal retirement benefits under the applicable laws.

Ahmed-BK said the administration had provided financial assistance to Garkuwan Yauri during Ramadan, Eid-el-Fitr and Eid-el-Kabir celebrations, sponsored more than two of his medical trips to Egypt, and named a hall at the Government House after him in 2025 in recognition of his contributions to the state.

He also disclosed that Governor Idris facilitated the appointment of the former governor’s son as a career ambassador and approved an increase in compensation due to Garkuwan Yauri on a government construction project after he rejected the initial valuation.

According to the commissioner, the government had extended other forms of assistance to the former governor but deliberately withheld details out of respect for his privacy and dignity.

On the allegation that Governor Idris had cut off communication with the elder statesman, Ahmed-BK said the governor personally contacted Garkuwan Yauri during his governorship aspiration to seek his blessings and prayers.

However, he said the former governor declined the request, citing his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The commissioner added that he had led senior government officials and media aides to the former governor’s residence in Kaduna on more than two occasions to convey the governor’s goodwill and maintain cordial relations.

Why Government Says Pension Is Not Payable

Explaining the legal basis for withholding the retirement benefits, Ahmed-BK said Garkuwan Yauri governed Kebbi State from January 1992 to November 1993, a period of approximately 22 months.

He maintained that the duration fell short of the mandatory two-year minimum service requirement for severance and pension benefits under the applicable provisions cited by the state government.

The commissioner also referred to a February 2010 letter from the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), addressed to the then governor and Speaker of the Kebbi State House of Assembly, directing that pension and gratuity for governors and deputy governors be administered in accordance with Sections 84(5) and 124(5) of the 1999 Constitution.

According to Ahmed-BK, the constitutional provisions cited by the commission did not extend to governors who served between 1991 and 1993, arguing that the 1999 Constitution does not provide for retrospective payment of such benefits to former governors who served before its commencement.

“Successive administrations in Kebbi, long before the present one, therefore relied on these constitutional and statutory provisions to exclude Alhaji Abubakar Garkuwan Yauri from the payment of formal severance gratuity, pension and related entitlements,” the commissioner said.

To support the government’s position, Ahmed-BK cited the case of former Deputy Governor Suleiman Mohammed-Argungu, whose first tenure lasted six months, from December 2002 to May 2003.

He explained that Argungu did not qualify for gratuity after that tenure because his service fell below the required threshold.

However, the commissioner said the former deputy governor subsequently became eligible after serving three years and nine months during his second tenure, from May 2003 to February 2007, before voluntarily resigning.

Ahmed-BK insisted that eligibility for retirement benefits must be determined by the applicable law and length of service, rather than political affiliation, personal relationships or administrative discretion.

Govt Urges Former Governor to Acknowledge Projects

The commissioner urged Garkuwan Yauri to acknowledge development projects executed by the Nasir Idris administration in Yauri, his hometown, while calling on all parties to ensure that public allegations are supported by verifiable facts.

He said the government would have preferred to avoid a public exchange with the former governor but considered it necessary to clarify its position and respond to allegations that could create a misleading impression of the relationship between the administration and the elder statesman.

The Kebbi State Government reaffirmed its commitment to the rule of law, responsible governance and respect for elder statesmen, maintaining that its position on the former governor’s formal retirement benefits should not be interpreted as a denial of the goodwill and assistance extended to him.