By Sabiu Abdullahi
The Gombe State Government has commenced the disbursement of N10.32 billion in gratuities to 6,665 retired workers across state and local government services.
Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya announced the payment on Thursday during the launch of the sixth tranche of gratuity payments by his administration since 2019.
According to the governor, N6.24 billion was approved for 2,354 state government retirees covering 2024 and 2025, while N4.08 billion was allocated to settle outstanding gratuities for 4,311 local government retirees.
Yahaya said his administration inherited N21 billion in unpaid gratuities when it took office in 2019. The arrears covered local government retirees from 2012 to 2019 and state government retirees from 2014 to 2019.
“When we assumed office in 2019, we inherited a gratuity backlog of N21bn owed to state and local government retirees,” he said.
He explained that the state and local government finances were under pressure at the time, adding that local councils had borrowed N1.3 billion monthly between 2013 and 2019 to meet salary obligations.
“From the outset, we recognised that the welfare of retirees is not a privilege but a right, and that every worker who has served faithfully deserves to retire with dignity and financial security,” Yahaya said.
The governor said his administration continued to pay gratuities despite economic challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, recessions, the Russia-Ukraine war, fuel subsidy removal and the floating of the naira.
“Yet through prudent management of scarce resources, we had paid a total of N33.283bn in gratuities before today,” he said.
He added that the latest disbursement had raised the total gratuities paid since 2019 to N44.134 billion.
“With today’s disbursement, our cumulative gratuity payment since 2019 has reached a historic N44.134bn,” the governor said.
Yahaya stated that the latest payment had cleared state government gratuity obligations up to December 2025, while payments for entitlements accruing from January 2026 were scheduled for early 2027.
He also disclosed plans to establish a sustainable arrangement to prevent future accumulation of gratuity arrears. Options under consideration include a contributory pension scheme or deductions from the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
“Our objective is simple: gratuity obligations must never again be allowed to accumulate and become an unbearable burden to the state and our retirees,” he said.
The governor further announced the release of N299 million in gratuities to former employees of the Gombe Investment and Property Development Company, following its dissolution and the creation of the Gombe State Investment Promotion Agency.
He said approval had also been granted to settle outstanding gratuities owed to former local government chairmen and councillors from previous administrations up to the present period.
Yahaya said his government had implemented the new minimum wage for state and local government workers, alongside the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure and Consolidated Health Salary Structure for doctors, nurses and other health professionals.
He maintained that salaries and pensions had been paid promptly throughout his tenure, including during periods of economic recession.
The governor said the need to address inherited gratuity arrears and an already overstaffed public service had influenced the administration’s decision to delay large-scale recruitment.
“The moral burden of clearing billions in gratuity arrears, together with an inherited service that was already overstaffed, compelled us to delay large-scale recruitment,” he said.
However, he noted that the government had employed 1,000 teachers, more than 440 health workers and hundreds of other personnel to meet staffing needs across ministries, departments and agencies.
“With the inherited backlog now cleared, Gombe State is in a stronger position to recruit new workers sustainably and strategically, aligned with the real needs of our public service and economy,” Yahaya said.
He appealed to retirees, civil servants and organised labour to support the government’s development efforts.
“We expect a renewed commitment and support from our retirees, civil servants and trade union groups to repay the support extended to them by our administration,” he said.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development, Muhammadu Magaji, described the commencement of the payments as a significant development in the management of pensions and gratuities in the state.
Magaji praised retirees for their contributions to Gombe’s development through their years of public service.
“You have taught our children, you treated the sick, you administered our institutions, maintained infrastructure and kept the machinery of government functioning,” he said.
He stressed that the payment represented the government’s fulfilment of its responsibility to former workers.
“The payment being commenced today therefore is not a favour, but a fulfilment of obligation of government which is being upheld strongly by His Excellency, our dear governor,” Magaji said.
The commissioner described the disbursement as “a restoration of hope, a fulfilment of an obligation, and a demonstration that responsible governance can make a tangible difference in the lives of our people.”
He also commended the administration’s efforts to improve internally generated revenue, strengthen budget credibility and promote transparency and accountability in public finance.
Magaji cited the state’s participation in fiscal and governance reform programmes, including SIFTAS, SABER and HOPE, as part of its efforts to improve public financial management and institutional performance.
“Permit me, on behalf of the government and people of the state, to sincerely acknowledge and appreciate Your Excellency for this effort towards our pensioners and retirees,” he said.
He urged the beneficiaries to recognise the government’s efforts to settle the inherited obligations and prayed for continued strength and wisdom for the governor.
