The Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Yahaya, has approved over 1.3billion naira for the payment of backlog of gratuity owed retired local government employees. The LGA retirees were last paid in 2011.
The governor has also approved the promotion of 26,085 local government workers notionally and financially across the eleven local government areas of the state with immediate effect.
Of the number of the promoted staff, 6,738 are local government workers, 16,739 are local education authority teachers while 2,608 are workers at the primary health care centers. The last time teachers were promoted in the state was in 2009 while promotions with financial benefits were last implemented in 2014.
The Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ibrahim Jalo, disclosed the development during a press conference in his office.
According to him, “Pensions, gratuities, salary increment and other entitlements will follow the promotions where Balanga, Gombe, Kaltungo and Yamaltu/Deba local government councils will pay backlog of gratuities for 2012; Akko, Billiri, Dukku and Shongom will pay for 2012 to 2013; Funakaye will pay for 2012 to 2014 while Nafada will pay for 2012 to 2015 which is estimated at the sum of 1.3billion naira.”
Dasuki also maintained that all the local government councils in Gombe State had positive balances in their accounts which made it possible for them to pay salaries, pensions, gratuities and other entitlements as at when due.
He stated that before the inception of the administration of Governor Inuwa Yahaya, local government councils had to take bank loans to pay workers salaries, a situation that he said had since been reversed.
The commissioner explained that the leadership trajectory of Governor Yahaya had seen local government become financially independent such that it does not have to depend on other LGAs for financial bail out.
He commended the governor for the approval, especially at such a time when the national economic indicators were telling on the social and economic lives of the people.
Also speaking, the Commissioner of Finance and Economic Development, Muhammad Magaji, conveyed the governor’s approval of 1.7 billion naira for the payment of backlog of gratuity owed 2017 state retirees.
“The payment of backlog of gratuity owed retired workers by the Inuwa-led administration has gulped about 7.9 billion naira. Recall that Governor Inuwa had earlier paid the backlog of gratuities owed for 2014, 2015 and 2016 state retirees and now for 2017 with the total amount paid out at state level standing at 6.6 billion naira. With the 1.3 billion naira approval for the local government retirees, we now have a total of 7.9 billion naira paid as backlog of gratuity left by the past administration,” he said.
Magaji, commended the financial management skills of Yahaya in paying salaries and executing capital projects for the state amid lean resources. He also commended the governor for breaking the jinx in the implementation of promotions for the LGA workers with financial benefits.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Gombe State chapter, Comrade Bappayo Abdulmumini, on behalf of the local government workers appreciated the governor for the payments and promotions.