Bauchi begins payment of N10bn outstanding gratuities to retirees

The Bauchi State Government has started paying the overdue gratuities owed to retired civil servants who left service between 2012 and 2016. At a presentation ceremony, Governor Bala Mohammed announced the beginning of the process, with Deputy Auwal Jatau representing him. The state has allocated N10 billion to start clearing the accumulated gratuity debts to retirees.

According to government records, the outstanding liabilities for the period amounted to N11.71 billion, which included both state and local government retirees. Of the 3,570 state retirees owed N6.13 billion, while 2,262 local government retirees have outstanding gratuities totaling N5.58 billion. Mohammed stated that the payments would be made in phases, starting with the initial batch and continuing until all verified beneficiaries are paid.

The governor emphasized that the payment schedule would consider the age of the outstanding obligations, the availability of supporting documents, verification and reconciliation of records, and the funds approved for each phase. He assured that no eligible pensioner should consider the first phase as an exclusion, as the government aims to process the payments systematically and transparently.

Mohammed explained that the initiative aimed to address the backlog of gratuities that some retirees had been waiting for over ten years.

The Bauchi State House of Assembly had unanimously approved the release of funds for the payment of the outstanding gratuities, as per the Speaker Abubakar Sulaiman. The governor urged retirees to submit the necessary documents, cooperate with the verification process, and use the funds judiciously for their needs and the well-being of their families.