The Ebonyi State Government has announced that it has successfully completed the second round of gratuity payments for retired civil servants from 1996 to 2023, amounting to over N5 billion.
Governor Francis Nwifuru approved a total of N1.6 billion for this purpose. The committee responsible for the exercise has now concluded the payment of the outstanding gratuities.
This information was conveyed in a statement released by Mr. Leo Oketa, the governor’s Special Assistant on New Media, on Friday.
The gratuity payments included retirees from both the initial payment period (1996 to 2021) and those from 2022 to 2023. A total of 256 retirees from the spill-over list received their gratuities, with an expenditure of N394.9 million.
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Additionally, 277 retirees from the 2022 to 2023 set were cleared and paid, with a total gratuity amount of N1.030 billion.
Overall, the second phase of payments covered a total of 533 retirees, including both spill-over and recent retirees, with a total expenditure of N1.4 billion.
It is worth noting that although 636 retirees were initially approved for the second phase, only 533 retirees were cleared and paid by May 9, 2024.
The remaining 103 retirees did not participate in the verification exercise and payment process.
The committee will submit a report to the Governor regarding these retirees and determine the next steps accordingly.
It is important to recall that during the first phase of payments from 1996 to 2021, a total of 1,558 retirees were cleared and paid a sum of N3,608,536,469.03 out of the approved N4,000,000,000.00.
Since assuming office, the Ebonyi State Government has made significant progress in clearing gratuity payments for retired civil servants.
The completion of the second tranche payment, totaling over N5 billion, demonstrates the government’s commitment to honoring its obligations to retirees.
The successful conclusion of this phase is a testament to the efforts of the committee in charge of the exercise.
The government will now review the committee’s report and determine the next course of action.
