By Chijioke Agwu
Abakaliki
Ebonyi State Governor, Chief Dave Umahi, has finalised plans to approach the federal government to seek bond facility to clear 23 years gratuity of retired civil servants owed them since 1993.
Umahi puts the 23 years gratuity owed the pensioners to N8 billion. He stated this at the Government House, Abakaliki, while signing some bills passed by the state House of Assembly into law.
He reiterated his readiness to pay off the gratuity, adding that no pensioner in the state is owed any pension.
While handing over four coaster buses procured by his administration for workers of the state to cushion transport difficulties to their new secretariat where they have relocated to for optimum performance, Umahi urged Federal Government to review its revenue sharing formula as part of measures to address the economic difficulties being experienced by other tiers of government.
He said that the 26% of the Federal Allocation accruing to the states was no longer tenable for the sustainability of socio-economic development at the grassroots.
He noted that the state government was working towards improving workers’ welfare through the creation of new Laws on Pension and Universal Health Insurance Scheme.
