Fidelia Soriwei, Abuja
Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has commenced the payment of N3.897bn in outstanding gratuities to 1,038 retired local government workers and primary school teachers who left service in 2016.
The governor flagged off the payment on Thursday at the Cocoa Conference Hall of the Governor’s Office in Akure, with the beneficiaries expected to receive the funds directly in their bank accounts.
Aiyedatiwa said the payment was an obligation to workers who dedicated their productive years to the development of the state, rather than a political gesture or favour.
“The payment is intended to put smiles on the faces of our senior citizens who dedicated their most productive years to the development of Ondo State.
“Some senior citizens retired into penury while others died without enjoying the fruits of their labour; I want to assure their surviving families that their sacrifices would not be forgotten,” he said.
The governor said beneficiaries who were not included in the current batch should remain patient, assuring them that his administration was working to eliminate the outstanding gratuity burden affecting both state and local government retirees.
“We stand by our unwavering commitment to ensuring that ‘gratuity backlog’ becomes a thing of the past. We are determined like never before to fulfil this promise to all our retirees both in the state and local government,” he stated.
The Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Amidu Takuro, said the payment programme had covered retirees from 2010 through 2016 as the government continued efforts to reduce the backlog.
Takuro acknowledged that clearing the accumulated liabilities, which run into billions of naira, was a major financial undertaking.
Aiyedatiwa also highlighted the Ondo State Residents Health Insurance Scheme, ORANGHIS, saying the initiative was designed to provide senior citizens with access to healthcare at no cost.
He advised the retirees to manage their gratuities carefully and avoid speculative ventures and other high-risk investments that could jeopardise their financial security.
The Head of Service, Segun Odusanya, commended the governor for prioritising the welfare of serving and retired public workers and for continuing efforts to settle outstanding gratuity obligations.
