From Umar Alibe, in Damaturu
The Yobe State Government has paid over ₦6 billion in pensions and gratuity to 4,271 local government retirees and beneficiaries, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr, Goje has disclosed.
He made the disclosure when members of the Committee on Local Government Staff Pension and Gratuity Payment briefed him on the progress of the exercise since its reconstitution by Governor Mai Mala Buni in July 2022.
The committee was reconstituted to verify local government retirees and next-of-kin of deceased local government employees and facilitate the payment of their legitimate pension and gratuity entitlements.
According to the committee, the verification and screening exercise has so far led to the payment of over ₦6 billion to 4,271 beneficiaries comprising living retirees and next-of-kin of deceased local government staff.
The SSG commended Governor Buni for prioritising the welfare of retirees and families of deceased workers, saying the payments were part of the government’s efforts to meet its obligations to former public servants.
He also commended members of the committee for ensuring that the verification and payment process was conducted with due diligence.
Goje urged the committee to sustain the transparent verification process and ensure that all genuine beneficiaries were identified and processed for payment.
He assured the committee of the state government’s continued commitment to addressing outstanding pension and gratuity obligations within available resources and established procedures.
