The Enugu State chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) has announced plans to commence the payment of outstanding gratuities owed to retired local government workers, with arrears dating back to 2000. The Deputy Chairman of Enugu State ALGON, Ferdinand Ukwueze, disclosed this to Government House correspondents Enugu at the end of the 40th meeting of the Enugu State Economic Planning Commission chaired by Governor Peter Mbah.
Briefing alongside other Council Chairmen, Ukwueze, who is also the Chairman of Igboeze South Local Government Area of Enugu State, said that starting from October, the councils would dedicate 10 per cent of their monthly allocations to settling the decades old gratuities arrears until they’re totally cleared.
The announcement comes a week after the Enugu State Executive Council approved over ₦32 billion for the payment of outstanding gratuities owed to retired state government workers, with arrears also dating back to 2000. Briefing Government House correspondents, Ukwueze described the decision by the local governments as a historic step aligned with the Mbah administration’s commitment to ensuring that retirees who served the state at both state and local government levels receive their entitlements.
“One of the high points of today’s meeting is that, in a very historic manner, the local government system in Enugu State has taken the bold step of aligning with the state’s policy, particularly with respect to alleviating the hardship of the masses.
“In line with the payment of the legacy gratuity that the state government embarked on a couple of days ago, the local governments have also decided at the Economic Planning Commission meeting to step into that arrangement to make sure that we clear all the gratuity inherited by us,” he said.