Bauchi State Government begins Gratuity payment to over 1,700 Retirees

By Muslim Lawal

The Bauchi State Government has commenced the payment of gratuity to more than 1,700 retirees of the state and local government services across the 20 local government areas of the state.

The Deputy Governor, Mohammed Auwal Jatau, who represented Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed at the flag-off ceremony, said the exercise would involve the verification of beneficiaries and payment of their outstanding gratuities.

He said clearing the backlog of gratuity remains a priority of the administration, noting that, the government had constituted a high-powered committee to ensure proper verification and payment to eligible retirees across the state.

According to him, the exercise will commence with local government retirees from 2012 and state government retirees from 2013, with the payments to be carried out systematically.

The Deputy Governor said the outstanding gratuity obligations, estimated at more than 11 billion naira covering the period from 2012 to 2026, would be cleared before the end of the present administration.

He charged members of the disbursement committee to carry out the assignment with transparency and accountability, stressing that the government would continue to seek practical solutions to workers’ financial obligations in order to boost the morale and productivity of both serving and retired workers.

He also appreciated pensioners for their patience and understanding in their continued demand for the payment of their legitimate entitlements.

Speaking on behalf of organised labour, the Vice Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Ibrahim Maikudi, commended the state government for being among the first states to implement the 70,000-naira minimum wage and 32,000-naira minimum pension.

He expressed hope that the gratuity payment would also cover retirees from 2023 to 2026, saying the development would help alleviate the financial challenges faced by retired workers who had spent up to 35 years in public service.

In his remarks, the Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly Dr. Abubakar Y Sulaiman said the Assembly’s approval of the loan facility to finance the gratuity payment was informed by the longstanding demands of retired workers.

He assured that the House would continue to support measures aimed at ensuring that workers and retirees receive their legitimate entitlements and improved welfare.