……..34 Retirees On Sick Bed With Diabetes, Hypertension, Ulcer
The Death Toll of New Nigerian Newspaper Retirees waiting for payment of their benefits from Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) reached 111 on Friday the 18th of April 2025 when the death of former Company Secretary, Barrister Yusuf Onuh Abubakar occurred.
Announcing the death of the ex company secretary on the New Nigerian Newspaper official WhatsApp platform Alhaji Idris said “INNALILLAHI WAINNA ILAIHIR RAJI’UN
We lost another Beneficiary in Person of Barrister Yusuf Onuh Abubakar today April 18, 2025 may Allah SWT Grant him Aljannah Firdausi”
Shortly after the announcement, members took to the NNN platform and so many others to mourn and lament the chains of Bureaucracy adopted by Northern Governors Forum before effecting their payments.
A beneficiary who pleaded anonymity said “these deaths are unusual and very painful, some of us are diabetic and some with several underlining illnesses which requires money in managing them. We have been begging Northern Governors to pay us, but it will sound as if the payment is going to come in one hour or the next day, then there will be total silence”
“Does it mean these deaths do not matter to the Governors? Yes, there are positive developments recently, but all we get is your matter is concluded. No penny has dropped into our accounts. What kind of Bureaucracy are they observing that hasn’t ended even with the death of 111 souls, oh God help us before we all perish” she exclaimed, crying uncontrollably.
Last week Sunday, the first son of Aliyu Mai Borno ex-CBN Governor, Aliyu Modibbo Yola died at Federal Medical Centre Yola.
He was on the NNN desk and was later transferred to Yola, Adamawa State his home town as state Editor NNN after the death of his father, Alhaji Aliyu Mai Borno a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN whose portrait is on N1000 note.
Last week Saturday, the death of Ado Umar at Yusuf Dantsoho Memorial Hospital Tudun Wada Kaduna brought the total number of beneficiaries awaiting payment from Northern Governors to 109.
Investigation suggests that the number of beneficiaries in dire need of medical attention is 34 out of which 31 are diabetic, hypertensive and with ulcer.
Northern States Governors’ Forum under Governor Mohammed Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State raked in 7 billion naira after selling New Nigerian Newspaper properties in the name of paying NNN beneficiaries but until now no penny has been paid out of the 2.5 Billion naira owed the retirees.
Meanwhile recent interactions of New Nigerian Newspaper Elders Forum with the Northern States’ Governors Secretariat suggests that efforts may have been underway to pay the retirees however no specific time frame was stipulated
