(Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule. Photo byThe cable)
The Nasarawa State Government has started paying gratuities to 1,389 retirees from the state and local government civil service on a quarterly basis.
Speaking to reporters during the exercise on Wednesday in Lafia, the state capital, Mr. Abdullahi Ibrahim, the director of human resources at the state Pension Bureau, revealed this.
According to Ibrahim, the quarterly payment mechanism was implemented by Governor Abdullahi Sule’s administration to deal with the government’s inherited gratuity backlog.
He clarified that recipients of both state and local government services were covered by the N300 million first quarterly payment for 2026.
He claims that the bureau has also sent the governor a note requesting permission to release cash in order to start paying unpaid gratuities for retirees from 2013.
The director emphasized that the Pension Bureau was not in charge of the beneficiary selection process, rejecting claims of anomalies.
He clarified that a disbursement committee led by the deputy governor and established by the Industrial Court conducted the selection process in an open manner.
The Nigeria Union of Pensioners, the Concerned Pensioners’ Group, pertinent ministries, and the Director-General of the state Pension Bureau were among the stakeholders who made up the group, he continued.
“While the bureau carries out the decisions, the committee guarantees a smooth and open selection procedure. First-come, first-served is the foundation of the procedure, he stated.
Ibrahim pointed out that the Sule administration had continued to pay pensions consistently, with retirees getting their benefits when they were due.
He urged retirees to have patience and reassured them that the bureau, under the direction of Director-General Alhaji Suleiman Nagogo, was dedicated to making sure that all unpaid entitlements were settled.
The state government disbursed more over N5 billion in 2025 to settle gratuity backlogs from 1999 to 2012, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.FOLLOW US FOR MORE…