By Isiyaka Ismail Wunti
The Bauchi State Government has commenced the payment of ten billion naira gratuity to retirees across the state and its twenty local government areas.
Speaking during the disbursement exercise in Bauchi, Governor Bala Mohammed said the exercise would involve systematic verification and payment to eligible retirees, with more than one thousand seven hundred beneficiaries expected to benefit.
Governor Bala Mohammed said his administration constituted a high-powered committee to oversee the verification and payment process, noting that payment for local government retirees would commence from 2012, while that of state would begin from 2013.
Represented by his Deputy, Auwal Jatau, Governor Bala Mohammed said all the outstanding gratuity obligations covering the period from 2012 to 2026 would be completely offset before the end of his administration.
The Governor who appreciated pensioners for their patience and understanding, charged the committee overseeing the disbursement to ensure transparency throughout the process, assuring that the government would continue to pursue practical solutions to outstanding workers’ obligations.
The representative of organised labour, Ibrahim Maikudi, and the State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Abdullahi Alhassan described the gesture as move to ameliorate the suffering of retired workers expressing hope that the payment would cover beneficiaries from 2023 to 2026.
The Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Abubakar Sulaiman said the Assembly’s approval of the loan for the gratuity payment was informed by the longstanding demands of retired workers.
Abubakar Sulaiman assured that the House would continue to support measures aimed at promoting workers’ welfare, stressing that retirees who dedicated decades to public service deserved better treatment and timely payment of their entitlements.
The ceremony featured the presentation of cheques to some of the beneficiaries.