Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno state, has disbursed N985 million gratuities to 4,865 living and deceased retired workers across the state. According to him, the payments of retirees’ gratuities were facilitated by the State House of Assembly to secure a N12 billion loan from Zenith bank. While presenting cheques to retirees at Government House, Maiduguri, he disclosed that; “The accumulated backlog of gratuities over years; has become worrisome. “Government is making frantic efforts to settle all outstanding gratuities and pension arrears to retired workers in the state. He said that the payments of gratuities to retired workers and Local Government Pensioners will reduce their sufferings. “This is in fulfilment of my electioneering campaign promises to the people of Borno,” he said, adding that the government will settle all outstanding gratuities of retired workers. While lamenting bag logs of pensions, he said: “Right now the total gratuity due for retirees in the state, is about N30 billion; because the retired civil servants are owing the state government N17 million. “The Local Education Authority (LEA) alone constitutes about N6 billion, which has not been captured, while the local government staff, are also owing us about N4 billion.” He said the total gratuities due for payments to retired workers in Borno, is about N28 billion. He noted that the retired workers have served for 35 years. He also lamented that workers that retired between 2012 and 2014 and worked for 35 years, cannot be paid their retirement benefits. Zulum attributed the non-payments of retired workers’ gratuities to corruption. According to him; “Payments that were made during my processor, Sen. Kashim Shettima, have not adequately reached the beneficiaries. He said the state government shall do everything possible to check such corruption in the civil service system. “Under no circumstances, any of the retired workers shall be paid by cash,” he declared, before presenting the cheques to the retirees. While clarifying modes of payments, he said: “All payments must be made through cheques or emails,” adding that a memo must also be received from the Head of Service (HoS) detailing the number of beneficiaries and amount to be collected. He added that all beneficiaries and their respective pension payments be published in national dailies. Speaking on genuine retirees, he said: “We shall ensure in the first disbursement exercise, that all retired workers between 2013 and 2017 be fully paid. “While retired workers with gratuities payments below N4 million from 2019 to date are also to be fully paid,” noting that the N12 billion secured loan may not settle bag logs of gratuities. But an appreciable number of retirees will definitely benefit from the disbursed N985 million. He also appealed to those who are not part of first phase of disbursement; to exercise patience. “We’re working to settle them as soon as possible,” he said, as government has commenced the automatic migration of retirees from salary to pension since May, 2020. Meanwhile, he said that 900 retirees have benefited from the process. He explained that if a worker retires this month, he or she be enrolled to collect their pension in January, 2021. He said the imitative has also relieved the retirees from untold hardships; as they need not to wait for being enrolled into pension payroll. He told the retirees that conduct of biometric exercise for retired workers has been stopped. “Once you’re captured, while serving as a civil servant,” he said, there is no need for another biometric exercise to receive pension. “The workers have already been captured under the biometric exercise for their salary payments,” noting that workers that have retired five years, are to undergo biometric exercise before paying their gratuities. He said the exercise, will also determine whether or not such retirees are alive or not. He warned that; “Henceforth, any civil servant that has died, his or her family members refused to forward such information within three months will forfeit gratuities. The Governor also alleged that some family members of retirees have been collecting salaries, five years after their deaths. He said as long as we want to ensure prudence, in management of limited resources, workers should be honest in the dealings. Meanwhile, he said that about N600 million has been released for the payments of 640 retirees for one to 47 months pension arrears. Besides, he added: “Government has also released N300 million for deceased payments of pension to 326 next of kin. “Today, out of next of kin, we’re now paying N985 million as dead benefits to their next of kin,” adding that 478 deceased civil servants are to benefit from the pension payment scheme. He therefore called on beneficiaries to judiciously utilize pensions in improving their living conditions and livelihoods. The State’s HoS, Simon Malgwi said that the Zulum administration had been giving topmost priority to the payments of workers’ entitlements and welfares. He said the police thrust of administration hinges on accountability, transparency, compassion and good governance with workers’ welfare as its guiding principles
