10/05/2024
OVER N5BN SPENT BY EBONYI STATE GOVERNMENT TO CLEAR BACKLOG OF GRATUITIES OF RETIREES FROM 1996 TO 2023
The second trench payment of gratuities for retirees of Ebonyi State Civil Service from 1996 to 2023 has been formally concluded. For this exercise, the Governor approved the sum of One billion, six hundred million naira (N1,600,000,000.00) only.
The committee in charge of the phase II exercise, concluded payment of the backlog yesterday. It included, spill over list of retirees from the initial payment (1996 to 2021), and retirees from 2022 to 2023. This second phase started from April 30, 2024 to May 9, 2024 (7 days).
The total number of retirees cleared and paid from the spill over list is 256. A total sum of three hundred and ninety-four million, nine hundred and seven thousand, seven hundred and eighty-four naira, ninety-one kobo (N394,907,784.91) only, was expended in this regard.
Retirees cleared and paid for the 2022 to 2023 set were 277 in number. The total gratuity in amounts paid for this set is one billion, thirty million, nine hundred and seventy-two thousand, eight hundred and seventy-naira, five kobo (N1,030,972,870.05) only.
Total number of retirees paid for the second trench is 533, both for the spill over of those paid earlier (1996 to 2021) and those of 2022 to 2023. The total sum expended in the second phase is one billion, four hundred and twenty-five million, eight hundred and eighty thousand, six hundred and fifty-four naira, ninety-six kobo (N1,425,880,654.96) only.
Note that for this second phase, 636 retirees were in the approved list, but 533 retirees were cleared and paid as at May 9, 2024. The remaining 103 retirees in the approved list did not show up for the verification exercise cm payment. The committee will bring up their report to the Governor and from then on, chart a way forward for the next step.
You may wish to recall, that on October 23, 2023 - last day of payment for the first phase from 1996 to 2021, 1,558 retirees were cleared and paid to a tune of three billion, six hundred and eight million, five hundred and thirty-six million, four hundred and sixty-nine naira, three kobo (N3,608,536,469.03) from the four billion naira (N4,000,000,000.00) approved by the Governor.
As such, since assumption of office till date, Ebonyi State Government has cleared backlog of gratuities of 2,091 retirees of Ebonyi State Civil Service from 1996 to 2023, to a tune of five billion, thirty-four million, four hundred and seventeen thousand, one hundred and twenty-three naira, ninety-nine kobo (N 5,034,417,123.99), only.
Once again, thank you, Your Excellency, Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, Governor of Ebonyi State, for this distinctive show of service and leadership, anchored on the NEEDs of the PEOPLE.
© Leo Ekene Oketa
Special Assistant to the Governor
(New Media)
May 10, 2024.