Ebonyi Govt pays gratuity to 1,500 Pensioners

BY UKAZ DAVE / ABAKALIKI

Ebonyi State Government has paid gratuity to 1,500 out of 1,715 who retired between 1996 and 2021 in the state civil service.

Chairman of state verification and payment of gratuity Committee, Professor Adeline Idike who disclosed this when Governor Francis Nwifuru, visited the committee at the venue of the payment at Exco Chambers of the old Government House, Abakaliki, said outstanding beneficiaries of about 200 will receive their full payments within the next two days

She said all other pensioners who retired between 2022 to 2023 would get their full gratuity latest by December 2023.

Addressing the retirees , Governor Nwifuru said his administration decided to embark on the payment of the gratuities to give the retirees a new lease of life after meritorious service to the State.

Governor Nwifuru also commended members of the Verification Committee for so far discharging their duties creditably.”

He assured that his administration would not rest on its oars until all who are worthy of gratuity receive the fruit of their labour.

“I have been listening to so many radio programmes and announcements and I also listened to one of the retirees clearly and he said that his happiness is not just because he received his gratuity but the way and manner he was managed when he came to the Committee for verification showed to him very much that our Government has human face.

“We didn’t embark on this journey because of the volume of resources available to us as Government but because it is a necessity.

“If you pay somebody who worked for you for 30 good years, or 35 or 60 as the case may be his wages without paying the person his retirement benefits, I don’t think the person will be going home happy.

“It is a great task because it is capital intensive and we embarked on it to the benefits of mankind but my happiness is that those involved , the retirees are feeling the impact of our Government.

Editor

Jude Ossai (JP) a veteran journalist is a National Diploma holder in Mass Communication from Ogwashi-Uku Polytechnic Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State. He also studied at Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) Enugu and Imo State University, Owerri for his first and second degrees in Mass Communication, respectively. He writes extensively on politics, crime, corruption, climate change, healthcare, human rights, social justice, among others.