The Kano State government has set aside N6bn to pay gratuities to over 5,500 retired civil servants in the state.
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf made the disclosure during a press briefing with newsmen on Saturday in Kano.
Stallion Times reports that Governor Yusuf on assumption of office expressed displeasure over the backlog of unpaid gratuities by the past administration, amounting to over N40 billion.
He then pledged to clear the backlog within two years in office.
At the briefing, Governor Yusuf said: “We have the lists of the beneficiaries and the money at hand and by next week, we will commence the payment without delay.
“I frequently summon meetings with the Accountant General, Chairman Pension Trust fund, and others to assist me on the way forward.
“It is in the course of this meeting we decided to start paying those of low-grade level, whose amounts have not exceeded N1 million or little above N1 million down to like N150,000 or N250,000.
“I asked them to compile the list and we have got the names of over 5,500 of them. “By next week, they will receive their gratuities insha’Allah.
“The total amount as we calculated is about N6 billion and it has since been approved by the State Executive Council.”
In a swift reaction following the governor’s commitment to pay pensioners’ gratuity, the Kano State Pensioners Forum on Saturday during a press briefing at the Kano Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat hailed the government’s promise to settle the retiree’s retirement benefit.
Chairman of the forum, Alhaji Ado Ibrahim said that the current administration has shown concern towards the living conditions of pensioners.
The development would go a long way to relieve the suffering of pensioners and offered prayers for the administration, he added.
It could be recalled that 2 months ago, Stallion Times investigative report revealed how the state government failed to pay pensioners retirement benefits.
In the investigation, Stallion Times revealed a large chunk of retirees were denied their benefits, years after retirement.
The report also revealed how some pensioners live in despair, and how successive governments failed to pay the pensioners their retirement benefits.
