Abia State Government has commenced the full payment of gratuity to all verified pensioners of local and state governments who retired between 2001 and 2010.
The decision was announced by the Commissioner for Information Prince Okey Kanu after the State Executive Council meeting chaired by Governor Alex Otti on Monday.
According to him, the gratuity would be paid in batches based on the recommendation of the committee set up to oversee the gratuity payment.
The information commissioner said upon review of records from the State Pensions Board and Local Government Pensions Board, the committee determined the total outstanding gratuity liability to be sixty one billion, eight million naira (#61.8) covering both state and local government retirees.
The government explained that N7.2 billion of the debt accumulated between 2001 and 2010, N43.6 billion between 2011 and May 2023, while another N10.9 billion accrued from May 2023 to date.
He said that the committee also established a comprehensive review that successive administrations in the State, particularly those of governors T.A .Orji and Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, only affected less than 0.01% of gratuities payment to retirees who left the service between 2011 and May 2023.
To clear the backlog, the committee recommended that the obligations be captured in the state’s Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and annual budgets from 2026 to 2031. The plan, according to the government, is to ensure gradual payment of the arrears and prevent accumulation of new debts.
The government added that gratuities will be paid directly to verified beneficiaries through a dedicated payment platform linked to the Treasury Single Account, TSA, to ensure transparency and accountability
He said the government has established a helpline, the Abia State Citizens Contact Center to ensure that issues arising from the payments of gratuities are resolved as soon as they arise, urging retirees with issues to call 0800-000-0232 or send in their complaints through the email address contactcenter@Abiastate.gov.ng
