Governor Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State has approved the sum of N1.097 billion for the immediate payment of outstanding gratuity for retirees under the state civil service.
A statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Ismaila Uba Misilli, said the payment is for outstanding liabilities of gratuity for pensioners that retired since 2014, totalling to N1,097,968,035 billion.
He said the gesture was in Governor Yahaya’s determination to ensure that workers, who have served the state and retired, enjoy dignified and comfortable retirement life.
According to the statement, the governor gave the directive for the payment after receiving an interim report of a committee constituted to ascertain the outstanding gratuities for the state retirees as at May 29, 2019.
“The amount of 1,097,968,035 is to cover payment to 504 eligible state retirees, with 50 per cent approved for immediate payment to the beneficiaries,” he said.
Misilli added that payment of the gratuity for local government retirees will be approved after verification by the committee, adding that Governor Yahaya was determined to clear all backlog of gratuity and pension arrears owed retirees by the previous administration for about eight years.
The statement added that the governor assured civil servants in the state that his administration will encourage reward for hardwork and called on them to rededicate themselves for effective service delivery.
Daily Trust reports that former Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo left for Governor Yahaya’s administration, a backlog of pension and gratuities for the state and local government retirees to the tune of over N14 billion despite receiving N38.5 billion as budget support and bailout from the Federal Government.
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