Nasarawa Governor Abdullahi Sule has approved ₦1.6bn to clear 2012 gratuities for retired civil servants.
He also pledged ₦600m to help councils settle debts and urged audits to curb overstaffing.
Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has approved the release of N1.6 billion for the settlement of gratuities owed to retired civil servants for the year 2012.
The governor made the announcement on Thursday in Lafia, the state capital, while handing over 100 electric vehicles and tricycles to youths from the 13 local government areas as part of an empowerment initiative to promote entrepreneurship.
Sule explained that his administration had already cleared gratuity arrears from 1996 to 2011, and that the new disbursement would fully cover retirees from 2012. “This year, at the state level, we are paying all the 2012 gratuities in full, amounting to N1.6 billion,” he said.
The governor further revealed that the state would provide an additional N600 million to assist local government councils in offsetting their own gratuity obligations. However, he cautioned that persistent overstaffing at the council level continued to strain their finances.
“Every year, the local governments leave gratuities of between N5 billion and N6 billion unpaid. There is no way they can sustain that burden,” he added.
To address the problem, Sule urged the State House of Assembly to conduct a thorough audit of the 13 local governments in order to establish accurate staff records and strengthen accountability.
