The Enugu State Government has approved the payment of about “N32bn in outstanding legacy gratuities owed to retirees, with the first tranche of N10bn to be released”.
The Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, disclosed this in a statement issued by Governor Peter Mbah’s media office.
According to the statement, the SSG disclosed this on Friday while briefing Government House journalists after the State Executive Council meeting.
Onyia spoke alongside the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Dr Malachy Agbo; the Commissioner for Lands and Urban Development, Chimaobi Okorie; and the Commissioner for Human Development and Poverty Eradication, Prof. Benedett Ekwutosi Okoli.
He said the payment was part of Governor Peter Mbah’s commitment to clear inherited gratuity liabilities before the end of his first tenure.
The SSG explained that the outstanding gratuities were inherited by the present administration, adding that provisions for their settlement were made in the 2026 budget approved by the Enugu 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.
Onyia said 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.
The SSG said the first N10bn tranche would be released to commence payments, after which subsequent tranches would follow until the entire verified liability of approximately N32bn was cleared.
He added that the administration was also addressing gratuity obligations at the local government level, where the outstanding exposure was estimated at more than N10bn.
He said Mbah had approved a meeting of the Economic Council to review the local government liabilities to enable local government retirees to start receiving their gratuities soon, alongside their counterparts at the state level.
Onyia clarified that the current exercise focused on legacy gratuities, noting that the government had already commenced the payment of outstanding pension obligations following the verification of eligible beneficiaries.
“The gratuity owed to every retiree across the board from 2000 will be paid,” he said.
The SSG also said the verification committee, which he chaired, reviewed the records of 66,783 persons across the workforce and pension-gratuity categories.
He explained that the verification exercise was necessary to guard against fraudulent claims and ensure that payments were made to legitimate beneficiaries.
He, however, said retirees who had concerns about the outcome of the verification were free to submit their complaints to the committee for further review.
Onyia said clearing the inherited gratuity liabilities was an important step towards ensuring that the state did not continue to accumulate unpaid retirement benefits for future administrations.
He reiterated that the Mbah administration was committed to settling the verified legacy obligations while sustaining payments to eligible pensioners and putting in place a more sustainable pension system for the state.
Our correspondent reports that the payment announcement comes amid mounting criticism from opposition parties in the state.
The payment initiative could also feature in the governor’s re-election campaign strategy.