Bauchi rolls out N10bn for gratuity payment to 1700 pensioners
By David Ayodele
Bauchi state government has commenced payment of outstanding gratuity to the first batch of 1,700 state and local government pensioners covering 2012 and 2013 retirees.
The payment which will gulp about N10bn has since commenced in line with Governor Bala Mohammed’s promise to settle substantial backlog of outstanding gratuity owed retired local and state government workers.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony in Bauchi, the governor explained that the exercise is part of his administration’s commitment to clearing the backlog of retirement benefits owed retired workers of the state, with subsequent batches expected to be paid chronologically according to the years of retirement.
Represented by his Deputy, Auwal Jatau, Governor Bala Mohammed said the government was determined to address the long-standing plight of pensioners who had waited for years to receive their entitlements.
The governor said retirees who had given their productive years to the service of the state deserved to be treated with dignity and receive the reward of their labour and said that it was unacceptable for workers who had spent their productive years serving the state to retire and continue to suffer because of unpaid gratuities.
“They gave us their best yesterday and so deserve our best today,” he said. It is with a proper sense of duty that I stand to perform a function close to my heart—to pay outstanding arrears.
“For over two decades, many have waited painfully for the reward of their labour. Your wait has come to an end,” he said.
He recalled that his administration inherited a backlog stretching as far back as 2012 amid difficult fiscal circumstances, but decided that investment in infrastructure must be balanced with attention to human welfare.
He said the government had constituted a Verification and Disbursement Committee under the leadership of Alhaji Sabiu Baba to oversee the verification and payment process and described Baba as a person with extensive knowledge of the public service and an unblemished record.
The governor directed that the disbursement exercise be conducted transparently and without unnecessary bottlenecks, stressing that pensioners must not be subjected to humiliation in the process.
He said the government was conscious of the economic realities confronting pensioners, adding that the funds being released were not merely figures but represented the welfare of families and individuals who had health and other needs to meet.
The governor assured pensioners that the government would continue to clear the outstanding arrears in phases, urging beneficiaries to present their relevant documents and use the established channels for verification and payment.
The Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Hon. Abubakar Suleiman, who attended the ceremony alongside members of the House, described the exercise as a significant and heartwarming development and said the House considered the plight of pensioners important enough to adjust its legislative activities to attend the flag-off ceremony.
He said the Assembly was deeply concerned about the suffering caused by accumulated gratuity arrears and had resolved that the government should take steps to settle the outstanding obligations.
He disclosed that the House had approved the state government’s request for N10 billion to commence the payment of gratuity and commended Governor Bala Mohammed for responding positively to the resolution of the House and demonstrating the political will to address the long-standing problem.
He expressed hope that the payment would bring relief to pensioners and their families, assuring them that the legislature would continue to support measures aimed at improving the living conditions of the people.
In his welcome address, the Chairman of the Verification and Disbursement Committee for Pensioners’ Gratuity, Sabiu Baba, who was represented by Hassan El-Yaqub, described the occasion as historic.
Baba said the exercise was an opportunity to honour pensioners who had dedicated years of service to the state and to ensure that they received their legitimate entitlements and expressed appreciation to the governor for fulfilling his commitment to addressing the long-standing gratuity problem.
Baba assured beneficiaries that the committee would remain committed to transparency and accountability throughout the exercise and pledged that the committee would work to ensure that similar delays did not recur.
In his goodwill message, the representative of organised labour in Bauchi State, Comrade Dauda Shuibu, commended the government for commencing payment of the accumulated gratuity.
Shuibu said Bauchi was among the states implementing the N32,000 pension minimum and described the payment of accrued gratuity as another important step towards addressing the challenges confronting retirees.
