An Open Letter to His Excellency, Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State
Your Excellency,
Today, a quiet reflection settled in my heart. It has been nine long years since I retired from State service in 2016. Although I did not attend the pension interview until 2019, as I was out of the country at the time, I have waited ever since with patience, with faith, and with trust in the fairness of the system I once served. Yet, to this day, my gratuity remains unpaid.
I am not writing to seek favor, nor to jump any queue. I am writing to ensure that I am still in the line of justice and that no unseen hand has quietly taken what I earned through years of honest labor. When I retired, the value of my gratuity stood at over $14,000. Today, after nearly a decade of silence, that same amount is worth barely $2,000. What once represented the reward of service has now been reduced to the ashes of delay and neglect.
It is profoundly disheartening that in our country, to receive what is rightfully yours, you must “know someone”, a godfather, a friend in office, or a voice in power. Justice has become a privilege instead of a right. Merit has been replaced by connection, and conscience by convenience. This should not be the story of those who gave their best years to serve the State.
I understand that we do not yet have a system where a retiree can simply dial an 800-number and reach a pension officer who speaks with courtesy and accountability. But leadership is not defined by projects alone; it is defined by compassion, memory, and the courage to correct forgotten wrongs.
Governance at its highest form is not measured by the number of roads built, or the beauty of new projects, but by how a government treats those who built its foundation. The true dignity of a State lies not in its monuments, but in the integrity of its gratitude.
I write not in anger, but in reflection and in hope. Hope that under your leadership, justice will once again become impersonal, impartial, and fair. Hope that those who served faithfully will not be left behind in the bureaucratic shadows. Hope that under your watch, the State will remember its own.
Your Excellency, I remain proud of my service, but my faith in the system now depends on the moral courage of leaders like you leaders who understand that governance is not power over people, but responsibility toward them.
With profound respect and faith in your leadership,
Dr. Bello Y. Makama
Former State Officer
October 12, 2025
