The Bauchi State Government has commenced payment of outstanding gratuities to 5,832 retired civil servants whose entitlements date back to between 2012 and 2016.
The payment covers retirees at both the state and local government levels, with beneficiaries drawn from validated records of outstanding obligations accumulated over the years.
The exercise commenced in Bauchi on Wednesday with the presentation of cheques to some of the beneficiaries.
Representing Governor Bala Mohammed at the event, Deputy Governor Auwal Jatau said the administration had committed N10 billion to clearing part of the accumulated gratuity obligations.
According to the governor, the validated liabilities stood at N11.71 billion, comprising N6.13 billion owed to 3,570 state retirees and N5.58 billion due to 2,262 local government retirees.
Mohammed said the disbursement would be carried out in phases, taking into account the age of the outstanding claims, availability of supporting documents, verification and reconciliation of records.
He said the commencement of the first phase should not be seen as excluding other eligible retirees, stressing that the government intended to continue the process until all validated obligations were addressed.
The governor described the gratuity backlog as one of the major inherited challenges facing his administration, noting that some retirees had waited for more than 10 years for their entitlements.
He said the government considered the payment a matter of dignity for workers who had spent decades contributing to the development of Bauchi State.
Mohammed directed officials handling the exercise to ensure that the process was transparent, fair and free from unnecessary bureaucratic delays.
He also urged retirees to cooperate with the verification process by providing the required documents, while assuring them that senior citizens would be treated with priority and dignity.
The governor said the state had also established the Bauchi State Contributory Pension Scheme to improve pension administration through proper data management, verification and reconciliation.
Meanwhile, Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Abubakar Sulaiman, said the lawmakers unanimously approved the release of funds for the payment of the outstanding gratuity.
The government urged beneficiaries to make proper use of the funds as the phased payment continues for eligible retirees covered by the validated records.