Governor Lawal clears 13-year gratuity arrears for Zamfara retirees

Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has announced that his administration has paid off more than N5 billion in gratuities owed to retired civil servants, clearing a backlog that spans 13 years.

A statement on Sunday by the Governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, explained that the government began paying the outstanding gratuities in February to state and local government workers after they were authenticated and validated. According to the statement, the government paid a total of N5,347,243,210.00 in gratuities to state and local government retirees.

The statement detailed that “2,209 retired local government and primary school teachers were paid, and 1,642 retired state workers were paid in five batches.”

The statement continued, “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 of N2,336,271,961.37 out of the total N8,095,948,906.63 owed. The fifth batch of 260 verified state pensioners with gratuity arrears amounting to N510,094,956.35 were paid recently.”

Additionally, the statement highlighted that “a total of 465 retired local government and primary school teachers 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 were paid in five batches totalling N2,500,876,293.16. The beneficiaries of the payments are those who retired from 2012 to 2019.”

Governor Dauda Lawal’s efforts in settling these long-overdue payments have been lauded by many as a significant step towards ensuring financial stability and peace of mind for the state’s retirees. The move underscores the administration’s commitment to addressing past financial liabilities and supporting the welfare of its retired workforce.