Gombe govt. begins payment of gratuity to retirees

Gov. Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State says the state Government has commenced the payment of gratuity arrears to retirees from the state and local government services.

Yahaya told newsmen in Gombe on Tuesday that the current exercise would gulp the sum of N1.3 billion.

He said that the backlog of unpaid gratuities was as a result of negligence by previous administrations in the state.

Yahaya said that his administration inherited a total of N21 billion backlogs of gratuities from the previous administrations.

”It is worrisome that the state retirees were last paid in 2013 while local government retirees were paid last in 2011.

”Our administration has paid about N6.6 billion to settle the benefits of state service retirees for 2015, 2016 and 2017,” he said.

The governor said that his administration had promoted no fewer than 26 ,000 local government workers since it came on board.

”We have also promoted 103 directors and appointed 14 permanent secretaries with their entitlements fully paid.

Also speaking on the development, the Commissioner, Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Dasuki Jalo assured that the local government service would sustain its efforts to pay retirees’ benefits.