Governor Agbu Kefas of Taraba State has promised that he will take steps to start clearing the backlog of unpaid gratuity to all civil servants who have retired from state and local government service. This announcement was made during a meeting with the press in Jalingo, where Governor Kefas reiterated his commitment to easing the burden of pensioners in the state.
The governor acknowledged that many retirees face financial hardship due to the non-payment of their entitlements and intends to prioritize payment of these obligations. Kefas stated that his administration would begin by clearing old debts to pave the way for a smooth payment process to retired civil servants in the state.
In order to curb embezzlement of public funds, the governor emphasized the need for proper auditing procedures to be put in place. He maintained that this measure would ensure transparency in the management of public funds, adding that auditing work must be taken seriously to guarantee the effective running of public affairs.
There has been growing concern over the non-payment of gratuity to retired civil servants, prompting the Taraba State chapter of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) to allege that the previous administration owed workers around N22 billion in unpaid gratuity. It has also been reported that many retired primary school teachers and local government workers are yet to be enrolled for pension payments despite retirement several years ago. The NLC also accused the previous administration of diverting N800 million deducted from workers’ salaries and meant for multi-purpose loan schemes and the National Housing Scheme.
