BORNO state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has pleaded with Kashim Shettima, the outgoing governor of the state, to pay up all gratuity and pension arrears totaling about N20 billion before he hands over to his successor, Babagana Zulum.

Titus Abana, Chairman of the Borno NLC made the plea on Wednesday in Maiduguri in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Abana recalled that 2013 was the last time pensioners in Borno state received due gratuity from the state government and that all attempts to get the state government to settle the retired workers since then have not yielded the desired results.

“In spite of the release of a tranche of the Paris Club Refund, the state government has not paid the backlog of gratuity and pension being owed retirees,” Abana was quoted as saying.

“We met with the governor to push for these payments and he promised to do so before he leaves.

“He said he will not want his predecessor to inherit any burden from his government and promised he will pay all arrears of pension, gratuities accumulated by his government and the past government.”

Abana also reminded the governor of outstanding benefits of serving employees of the state.

“We are reminding him to also pay the backlog of promotion arrears and leave grant of workers which had been pending for more than three years due to the biometric verification.

“No worker has been paid any benefit in the last three years since the verification started. Many retirees have died untimely deaths due to frustration and hardship,” he said.

Abana, however, reiterated that workers in the state are full of expectations from the incoming governor, adding that the new administration needs to consider civil servants in its plans and policies in order to attain success.