Hours to his first year anniversary in office, Governor Agbu Kefas has gifted pensioners in the state with another round of payments of arrears. The governor ordered the immediate release of another one billion naira for the payments of gratuity.
The commissioner of finance, Dr. Sarah Enoch Adi, who revealed this Tuesday evening, said the governor is committed to offsetting all gratuities and pensions backlog. She described his actions as full of passion and zeal to confront the debts.
She noted that this was the second time the payments were getting huge funds to settle arrears. The commissioner noted that the gratuities are being paid in the most transparent manner, stressing the need for proper documentation for prompt actions.
It would be recalled that Governor kefas recently started the payments of gratuity after years of neglect. The last time any payments were made was in 2011. The hiatus had led to an accumulation of billions in arrears.
Today’s directive is seen as a consolidation of the earlier payments. Many beneficiaries had testified that they did not believe they would live to see any payments of gratuities. They expressed gratitude and wish the government well in this endeavor.
They equally noted that the payments are coming at the time of great hardship in the country, stressing that the gratuities are cushioning the harsh effects of the removal of oil subsidy.
Emmanuel Bello
Special Adviser Media and Digital Communications
