THE Governor of Gombe State, Muhammad Yahaya, on Tuesday says he inherited N14billion pension liability from the past administration in the state but he has approved the sum of N1.097 billion to commence payment of outstanding gratuities for eligible state retirees under the civil service.
The governor disclosed this in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Ismaila Uba Misilli, that the payment was to cover 504 eligible state retirees since 2014.
“The amount of N1,097,968,035 is to cover payment to 504 eligible state retirees, with 50 percent approved for immediate payment to the beneficiaries,” he said.
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Yahaya said payment of the gratuity for local government retirees will be endorsed after verification by the committee while stating the governor’s resolve, to taking out the accumulation of gratuity and pension arrears owed retirees for the past eight years.
On his official Twitter handle, @GovernorInuwa, he said the approved money was part of the N14billion backlog of pension and gratuity arrears he inherited.
“…This is part of the 14 billion naira backlog of pension and gratuity arrears I inherited. This would have been different if the previous govt had utilized Gombe’s resources judiciously. I intend to clear those backlogs. The one for local governments’ workers will also follow” Yahaya wrote on Twitter.
Yahaya said his government would encourage reward for hard work, while he called on civil servants to rededicate themselves for effectual service delivery.
“After serving our state with honor, our retirees deserve a dignified retirement life…”