The Nasarawa State Government has announced plans to settle the gratuities of civil servants who retired in 2012, with Governor Abdullahi Sule earmarking ₦1.6 billion for the payments.
The governor made the announcement on Thursday during the distribution of electric vehicles at the Government House in Lafia. He explained that his administration had already cleared all outstanding gratuities for retirees from 1996 to 2011.
“This year, at the state level, we are paying all the 2012 retirees their full entitlement, amounting to ₦1.6 billion,” he said.
Sule also revealed that ₦600 million has been allocated to local governments to help them pay their retirees. However, he cautioned council authorities against overstaffing, which he said continues to strain their finances.
“The local governments are facing serious challenges. Each year, they leave gratuities of between ₦5 billion and ₦6 billion unpaid. Without urgent reform, this will remain a time bomb,” the governor warned.
To address the problem, Sule said a consultant would be engaged to audit local government payrolls, while also urging the Nasarawa State House of Assembly to strengthen oversight by verifying staff records.
He further disclosed that with improved allocations from the federation account, the state would procure fertilisers and rice to resell at a 50 per cent subsidy, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s “watering the ground” directive.
