The Yobe State Government has paid more than N6 billion in pension and gratuity to 4,271 local government retirees and next-of-kin of deceased employees, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mohammed Goje, has disclosed.
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Goje made this known when he received members of the Committee on Local Government Staff Pension and Gratuity Payment, who briefed him on the progress of the payment exercise.
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The committee was reconstituted by Governor Mai Mala Buni in July 2022 to verify local government retirees and the next-of-kin of deceased employees and facilitate the payment of their legitimate pension and gratuity entitlements.
According to the committee, its verification, screening and processing exercise has so far led to the payment of more than N6 billion to 4,271 beneficiaries.
The beneficiaries include living retirees as well as the next-of-kin of deceased local government workers.
Goje commended Buni for what he described as his commitment to the welfare of retirees and families of deceased employees.
He said the payments represented an intervention towards meeting the government’s obligations to people who spent their working years in public service.
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The SSG also praised members of the committee for following due process and maintaining diligence throughout the verification and payment exercise.
The committee said the process was carried out based on transparency, fairness and due diligence to ensure that only genuine retirees and legitimate next-of-kin received the benefits.
It explained that beneficiaries underwent screening and verification before their claims were processed, with the procedure designed to protect the integrity of the exercise and prevent fraudulent claims.
Members of the committee were drawn from the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Nigerian Union of Pensioners, Local Government Audit Department, Local Government Service Commission, Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, and the Local Government Staff Pension Board.
Goje urged the committee to maintain the same level of transparency and diligence while ensuring that all genuine beneficiaries were identified and processed for payment.
He assured the members that the state government would continue to work towards settling outstanding pension and gratuity obligations within available resources and in line with established procedures.
The SSG said the payments reflected the Buni administration’s commitment to workers’ welfare and its obligations to retirees who served in the state and local government system.
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