TheCable

Udom Emmanuel, governor of Akwa Ibom state, has paid 10 years gratuity and pensions arrears of retired civil servants in the state.

Similarly, the state government has commenced the compilation of names of civil servants who retired in 2016, with a view to paying them.

According to Uwem Andrew- Essien, accountant-general of Akwa Ibom, the payment is done in batches in view of the huge amount involved.

This year alone, the state government has also paid staff salary arrears to 1, 227 workers, pension arrears to 4,304 pensioners as payment of all entitlements to civil servants, both serving and retired.

The accountant-general said payment of pension and gratuity would continue to remain a priority of the Emmanuel-led administration as a demonstration of its commitment to the well-being of the people of the state.

Recall that the governor was elected in 2015 and inherited the debt burden of pensions and gratuity, with some of the workers meant to be paid by the local governments they worked for.

Speaking in Uyo, the state capital recently, Emmanuel said his administration took a decision to pay all the arrears of gratuities and pensions inherited from the previous administration.

“Many people don’t know the difference between different tiers of government. They think the state government should be responsible for payment of gratuities and pensions for all workers including local government staff,” he said.

“But, though the state is not directly responsible for the debts, we have decided to pay everybody because the people worked for the overall well being of Akwa Ibom State and they deserve to enjoy their pension and gratuity.’’

He explained that regular payment of workers’ salaries was not an issue in the state even when the federal government failed to give the state the usual monthly allocation.