Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has paid over four billion Naira of gratuities to retired workers in Zamfara State.
It was learnt that the workers were being owed since 2011.
A statement by the spokesman of the Zamfara Governor, Sulaiman Bala Idris, revealed that gratuity payments began in February for State and local government workers after retirees were authenticated and validated.
According to the statement, the Zamfara State government has paid a total of N4,337,087,492.06 billion in four batches to state and local government retirees.
“In February, Governor Dauda Lawal set up a committee to validate retiree data and settle the gratuity debt that has accumulated since 2011 as part of his effort to sanitize the civil service in Zamfara State.
“After verifying the data of retired civil servants in the State, the government discovered that state and local governments owed a total of N13.4 billion.
“In the first, second, and third tranches of payment, 1,088 verified state pensioners were paid their total gratuity entitlements. The total amount paid was N1,836,836,018.95
“This month, 284 verified State pensioners were paid their gratuity arrears worth N499,435,942.42 in the fourth batch. The total amount paid by the state pension rose to N2,336,271,961.37.
“Furthermore, a total of 1,744 retired Local Government and Primary School Teachers who retired between 2011 and 2018 have been paid N2,000,815,530.69 in four batches.
“The ongoing gratuity payment is a remarkable achievement, and it is expected to provide some relief to the beneficiaries who have been waiting for years to receive their benefits.
“Governor Lawal’s administration has shown that it remains focused on fulfilling its promises to the people of Zamfara State,” he said