Enugu State local governments will begin paying a backlog of gratuities owed retired council workers for over 25 years from October.
The Deputy Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, Enugu State chapter, Ferdinand Ukwueze, disclosed this to Government House correspondents in Enugu on Monday, at the end of the 40th meeting of the Enugu State Economic Planning Commission chaired by Governor Peter Mbah.
According to a statement issued by Mbah’s media office, Ukwueze, who is also the Chairman of Igboeze South Local Government Area, said the councils would dedicate 10 per cent of their monthly allocations to settling the decades-old gratuity arrears until they are cleared.
The announcement comes barely a week after the Enugu State Executive Council approved over N32bn for the payment of outstanding gratuities owed retired state government workers, with arrears also dating back to 2000.
Briefing journalists alongside other council chairmen, Ukwueze described the decision by the local governments as a historic step aligned with the Mbah administration’s commitment to ensuring that retirees who served the state at both state and local government levels receive their entitlements.
He said, “One of the high points of today’s meeting is that, in a very historic manner, the local government system in Enugu State has taken the bold step of aligning with the state’s policy, particularly with respect to alleviating the hardship of the masses.
“In line with the payment of the legacy gratuity that the state government embarked on a couple of days ago, the local governments have also decided at the Economic Planning Commission meeting to step into that arrangement to make sure that we clear all the gratuity inherited by us.”
According to him, the deductions from the councils’ monthly allocations will commence this month and continue until the outstanding obligations are settled.
“Beginning from this month, we are going to key into what the state government has started implementing already by making sure that we offset those debts.
“The decision is that starting from this month, 10 per cent of our monthly allocation will be dedicated to that responsibility until it is cleared. So, once we start it, there is no going back. Every worker who worked in our local governments will have access to this entitlement,” Ukwueze stated.
He clarified that the arrears cover more than 25 years, dating back to 2000, and reaffirmed the councils’ commitment to clearing the outstanding obligations.
“For clarity, the arrears are from the year 2000, but, as I said, we are going to clear all the over 25-year legacy gratuities,” he reiterated.
Ukwueze said the initiative was aimed at improving the welfare of retirees who devoted their productive years to public service.
“The essence of it, once again, is to put smiles on the faces of the masses, especially those of them who spent their youthfulness serving the public in our various local government areas,” he said.
He also pledged the continued support of local governments for the Mbah administration and its collaboration with relevant stakeholders to sustain peace and security across the state.
“Enugu State is safe. Enugu State is peaceful. And we will continue to partner with our governor and security agencies to keep it so,” he added.