By Ndahi Marama, Maiduguri
Yobe State Government has paid more than ₦6 billion in pension and gratuity to 4,271 local government retirees and next-of-kin of deceased employees, Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr Mohammed Goje, has said.
Goje disclosed this when he received members of the Committee on Local Government Staff Pension and Gratuity Payment, who 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 the next-of-kin of deceased local government employees and facilitate the processing and payment of their legitimate pension and gratuity entitlements.
According to the committee, its verification, screening and processing exercise had so far resulted in the payment of more than ₦6 billion to 4,271 beneficiaries comprising living retirees and next-of-kin of deceased local government staff.
Goje commended Buni for his commitment to the welfare of retirees and families of deceased local government employees, describing the payments as an important intervention towards meeting the government’s obligations to people who dedicated their productive years to public service.
He also commended members of the committee for their diligence and adherence to due process in carrying out the exercise.
The committee said the verification process was conducted with emphasis on transparency, fairness and due diligence to ensure that only genuine retirees and legitimate next-of-kin received their entitlements.
It said beneficiaries were subjected to necessary screening and verification before their claims were processed to protect the integrity of the exercise and prevent fraudulent claims.
The committee comprises representatives of 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 sustain the transparency and diligence of the exercise 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.
The SSG said the payments reflected the Buni administration’s commitment to workers’ welfare and its responsibility to retirees who served the state and local governments.
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