Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri
The Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara, has approved the payment of gratuities to 1,000 former civil servants.
This is the second batch, having paid in June 2019 gratuities to 1,684 low ranking civil servants that retired between 2013 and the date of payment.
According to a press statement on Sunday by the governor’s spokesman, Mallam Isa Gusau, the 1,000 former civil servants to benefit from this latest approval are intermediate ranks who retired between 2013 and now.
Gusau said funds have already been transferred to various bank accounts provided by each of the 1,000 retirees.
He said: “As directed by the governor, this payment, to continue steadily, covers 50% of each of the 1,000 retired worker’s entire gratuity. The balance of 50% will surely be paid in another phase. The consultative idea of paying 50% aim to speedily reach as many retired workers as possible.
“The list of those paid will be made public on Monday and anyone of them unable to confirm payment to his or her bank account, is required to file complaint through the union of pensioners in the state so that it gets to the office of the head of service, which coordinates the payments.”
He noted that with the negotiated modality of payment, gratuities of retired workers, which had accumulated, will eventually be cleared.
The spokesman however observed that payments of monthly pensions to the retired workers in Borno State have largely been regular in the last eight years.
He said both gratuity and pensions are government controlled schemes meant to serve as livelihoods for salaried employees after their retirement, adding that gratuity is an end of service lump sum employers are expected to pay retirees or their dependents as gratitude for many years of lifetime put into work, while pension on the other hand, is a fixed contributory sum paid monthly to retired workers in place of salaries they were getting.
The spokesman recalled that in August 2019, the governor approved the payment of 2018 outstanding leave grants to 9,898 workers in the state; and had also approved payment of gratuities to the families of 185 deceased pensioners, while equally granting compassionate releases to the families of 236 pensioners who had passed on.
