Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi
The Bauchi State Government has flagged-off the payment of backlog of gratuity arrears to over 1000 retired civil servants in the state.
Governor Bala Abdukadir Mohammed in a symbolic handover of the cheque on Wednesday directed the commencement of payment of outstanding gratuity to retired civil servants from 2012 to 2016 in the state.
The governor who was represented by his deputy, Rt Hon Auwal Jatau, said the exercise would commence with the first batch of beneficiaries, while subsequent payments would be made until all eligible retirees had received their entitlements.
Bala Mohammed said the state government had committed N10bn towards addressing the accumulated gratuity obligations owed to retirees in the state.
He said the government was determined to address the long-standing plight of pensioners who had waited for years to receive their entitlements.
Governor Bala Mohammed said the government had validated historical records showing 5,736 beneficiaries with outstanding obligations amounting to N11.704 billion for the period between 2012 and 2016.
According to him, the figure comprises 3,570 state government beneficiaries covering 2012 to 2016, with an outstanding obligation of ₦6.133 billion, while 2,256 local government beneficiaries covering 2013 to 2016 are owed ₦5.579 billion.
He said retirees who had given their productive years to the service of the state deserved to be treated with dignity and receive the reward of their labour.
The governor also pointed out that it was unacceptable for workers who had spent their productive years serving the state to retire and continue to suffer because of unpaid gratuities.
He described the payment as a responsibility the government must discharge, noting that many retirees had waited for more than a decade for their entitlements.
“It is with a proper sense of duty that I stand to perform a function close to my heart – to pay outstanding arrears.
According to him, the administration inherited a backlog stretching as far back as 2012 amid difficult fiscal circumstances, but decided that investment in infrastructure must be balanced with attention to human welfare.
He said the government had constituted a Verification and Disbursement Committee under the leadership of Alhaji Sabiyu Baba to oversee the verification and payment process.
Mohammed described Baba as a person with extensive knowledge of the public service and an unblemished record.
The governor directed that the disbursement exercise be conducted transparently and without unnecessary bottlenecks, stressing that pensioners must not be subjected to humiliation in the process.
In his goodwill message, the representative of organised labour, Ibrahim Maikudi, commended the state government for prioritizing workers’ welfare, noting that Bauchi was among the first states in the country to implement the N70,000 minimum wage for civil servants.
He further stated that Bauchi was the first state in the North to implement the N32,000 minimum pension for pensioners.
“We are witnessing another gesture today, which is the flag-off of payment of accrued gratuity which this administration inherited. It is because of the good nature of our labour-friendly governor that he decided to pay this backlog,” he said.
He disclosed that the current phase covers retirees of 2012 to 2013, with assurance that the exercise would continue from 2016 to 2026 to clear all outstanding arrears.
“For now, we are paying from 2012 to 2013 and we were told it will continue after 2016 up to 2026. The entire pensioners are here, happy and ready to support this government,” he added.
Also speaking, the Executive Chairman of Ningi Local Government Area, Alhaji Yahuza Adamu, who spoke on behalf of other chairmen of local governments, said the payment goes beyond politics.
“What we are doing today is beyond socio-political, it is economic in nature. We are injecting funds into the public domain in Bauchi State and with the multiplier effect, it is going to change the economic trajectory of the state,” he said.
Yahuza maintained the gratuity payment, which had become a mirage over the years, was promised by successive administrations but never fulfilled.
“Everybody promised to do this and nobody ever did it. This is only done now by the right leader, at the right time, at the right moment, and to the right people,” he said.
He pledged the support of local government councils for the developmental programmes of the state government and urged beneficiaries and their families to continue to pray for the success of the administration.
The gesture has been described by organised labour and other stakeholders as an economic stimulus and a proof of a labour-friendly administration.
The flag-off ceremony, held in Bauchi, was attended by pensioners, labour leaders and chairmen of the 20 local government areas in the state.