Aliyu Bala Gerengi, Gombe
Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, has flagged off the payment of N10.32 billion in gratuities to 6,665 state and local government retirees.
The latest payment brings the total gratuity disbursed by the state government from 2019 to N44.134 billion.
Speaking during the flag-off ceremony in Gombe, Governor Inuwa Yahaya said his administration inherited more than N21 billion in outstanding gratuity liabilities when it assumed office in 2019.
He said the latest intervention includes N6.24 billion for 2,354 state retirees and N4.08 billion for 4,311 local government retirees across the state.
According to the governor, the latest payment has cleared all state government gratuity obligations up to December 2025, while gratuities accruing from January 2026 will be settled early in 2027.
Governor Inuwa Yahaya assured retirees that he would leave office without an outstanding gratuity backlog.
He said the government was also considering a sustainable mechanism for meeting future gratuity obligations, including a contributory pension arrangement or deductions from the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
The governor further highlighted other measures taken by his administration to improve workers’ welfare, including implementation of the new minimum wage, CONMESS and CONHESS, as well as prompt payment of salaries and pensions.
He also said the government had recruited 1,000 teachers and more than 440 health workers, alongside personnel for various ministries, departments and agencies.
The State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Aish Bello, commended the government for its attention to workers’ welfare, while the State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Muhammad Hassan Kwami, expressed appreciation for the payment of outstanding gratuities.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Abdulkadir Adamu Kawu and Zainab Ishiyaku Adamu thanked the state government for settling their long-awaited entitlements.
The event featured the formal flag-off of the gratuity payment and presentation of cheques to selected state and local government retirees.
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