ZAMFARA: Gov Lawal pays N5b gratuities owed retirees, 13 years after
By IBRAHIM KANOMA, Gusau
Governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Dauda Lawal, has paid off more than N5 in a 13-year backlog of gratuities for retired civil servants in the state.
The state government began paying the outstanding gratuities to state and local government workers in February this year after retirees were authenticated and validated.
In a statement issued in Gusau by the governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, on Sunday June 2, 2024, it was revealed that the state government paid N5,347,243,210.00 gratuities to state and local government retirees.
According to the statement, 2,209 retired local government staff and primary school teachers were paid, while 1,642 retired state workers were paid in five batches.
“The 4,198 retired state workers were owed a total sum of N8,095,948,906.63.
“The first, second, third, and fourth batches of 1,382 out of the 4,198 verified state pensioners were paid their total gratuity entitlements totaling N2,336,271,961.37 out of the total N 8,095,948,906.63 owed.
“The fifth batch of 260 verified state pensioners with gratuity arrears worth N510,094,956.35 were recently paid.
Similarly, retired local government and primary school teachers totaling 465 were paid a gratuity sum of N500,969,762.47 during the fifth batch.
“On the other hand, 2,209 retired Local Government and Primary School Teachers have been paid in five batches totaling N2,500,876,293.16. The beneficiaries of the payments are those who retired from 2012 to 2019,” the statement said.
