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Pensioners in Enugu state now have cause to smile as the Enugu state government has approved the payment of about N32 billion in outstanding legacy gratuities owed to the retirees, with the first tranche of N10 billion.
What is more cheering about the news is that the gratuity approved for payment is scheduled for release from next week.
The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Professor Chidiebere Onyia, gave the cheering news weekend while briefing journalists at the Government House, Enugu, after the State Executive Council meeting.
Onyia, who briefed newsmen alongside the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Dr. Malachy Agbo; Commissioner for Lands and Urban Development, Barr. Chimaobi Okorie; and Commissioner for for Commissioner for Human Development and Poverty Eradication, Prof. Benedett Ekwutosi Okoli, said the payment was part of the commitment of the Governor Peter Mbah administration to clear the inherited gratuity liabilities before the end of his first tenure.
He explained that the outstanding gratuities were liabilities inherited by the present administration, adding that the state government had made provisions for the settlement of the gratuities in the 2026 budget, which had been approved by the State House of Assembly.
“This amount of money was put in the 2026 budget and approved by the Enugu State House of Assembly. So, it is in appropriation law,” he said.
The SSG stressed that the decision was not a hastily conceived measure but part of a planned process to address the state’s outstanding obligations to retired workers.
According to him, the government suspended the existing gratuity verification process in December 2025 and established a verification committee to review records dating back to 2000.
He said the exercise was designed to establish the actual liabilities by examining retirees’ records and supporting documents, adding that the amount approved by the Executive Council was based on the outcome of the verification.
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