Gov Lawal Settles N7.3b Gratuity Owed to Zamfara Retirees

Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has made major strides in addressing the long-standing issue of unpaid gratuities to retired state and local government workers.

As of August 5, 2024, Governor Lawal has paid over seven billion Naira (N7.3 billion) in gratuities, a move that has brought much-needed relief to many retirees.

The process began with the establishment of a committee on January 26, 2024, tasked with verifying unpaid gratuities for state workers who retired between 2015 and 2024 and local government pensioners who retired between 2012 and 2019.

According to a statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, the payments have been made in seven batches, totaling N7.3 billion.

The statement highlighted the government's commitment to clearing the backlog of over N13 billion in gratuities owed to retired local government and state civil servants.

"It is disappointing that Zamfara workers experienced hardship due to non-payment of their retirement benefits by previous administrations, which Governor Lawal promptly addressed by settling the backlog," the statement read.

In detail, the first six batches saw 1,926 out of the 3,880 verified state pensioners receiving their total gratuity entitlements amounting to N3,345,642,807.22.

The seventh batch included 215 verified state pensioners who were paid N499,886,578.77. Additionally, 3,513 retired local government and primary school teachers were paid in seven batches, totaling N3,500,145,532.43.