Gombe Pays ₦10.32bn Gratuity to 6,665 Retirees, Says Yahaya
By Auwal Ahmad, Gombe
The Gombe State Government has released ₦10.32 billion to settle gratuity arrears owed 6,665 retired workers across the state and its 11 local government areas, Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya has said.
Alh. Yahaya announced the payment on Thursday at the official commencement of the latest gratuity disbursement exercise in Gombe.
The governor said the intervention comprised ₦6.24 billion for 2,354 state government retirees and ₦4.08 billion to assist local governments in clearing outstanding obligations owed 4,311 retirees.
The latest payment brings to six the major rounds of gratuity payments undertaken by the administration since it assumed office in 2019.
According to him, his administration inherited a ₦21 billion gratuity backlog covering retirees at both state and local government levels.
He said the financial condition of the state and local councils at the time made it difficult to immediately address the liabilities, with local governments struggling to meet even their monthly salary obligations.
“When we assumed office in 2019, we inherited a gratuity backlog of ₦21 billion owed to state and local government retirees,” Mr Yahaya said.
He said the administration nevertheless made clearing the arrears a priority because retirement benefits should be treated as an entitlement earned through years of public service.
Alh. Yahaya said the government had paid ₦33.283 billion in gratuities before Thursday’s latest release, adding that the cumulative payment had now risen to ₦44.134 billion.
The governor attributed the government’s ability to continue paying the arrears to what he described as prudent management of public resources despite several economic challenges during his tenure.
He cited the COVID-19 pandemic, economic recessions, the Russia-Ukraine war, the removal of fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira among the challenges faced by the administration.
With Thursday’s disbursement, Alh. Yahaya said the state’s gratuity obligations up to December 2025 had been settled.
He acknowledged that new liabilities had accumulated from January 2026 but assured retirees that gratuities for 2026 would be paid early in 2027.
The governor also disclosed that ₦299 million had been paid to former employees of the Gombe Investment and Property Development Company following the dissolution of the organisation and the establishment of the Gombe State Investment Promotion Agency.
He said he had equally approved the settlement of outstanding gratuities owed former local government chairmen and councillors from the previous administration to date.
For local government retirees, the latest payments cover different periods depending on the level of outstanding obligations in each council. The affected councils are Akko, Balanga, Billiri, Dukku, Funakaye, Kwami, Nafada, Gombe, Kaltungo, Shongom and Yamaltu-Deba.
Alh. Yahaya said his administration was working on a mechanism to prevent gratuity arrears from accumulating in the future, including the possibility of adopting a contributory pension arrangement or making direct deductions from the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
“Our objective is simple: gratuity obligations must never again be allowed to accumulate and become an unbearable burden to the state and our retirees,” he said.
The governor linked the payment to broader measures taken by his administration to improve the welfare of workers, including implementation of the new minimum wage and CONMESS and CONHESS for medical personnel.
He also cited the construction of a new state secretariat, judicial and legislative complexes, 13 LCDA secretariats and the rehabilitation of 11 former local government secretariats.
On recruitment, Alh. Yahaya said the administration had been cautious about expanding the public workforce because of the financial burden inherited from previous years.
He said the government had nevertheless employed 1,000 teachers and more than 440 health workers, in addition to workers recruited into various agencies created by the administration.
With the inherited gratuity backlog now substantially addressed, the governor said the state was in a better position to recruit workers according to the actual needs of its public service.
He appealed to retirees, civil servants and labour unions to continue supporting the administration’s reforms, saying the government would maintain financial discipline and prioritise the payment of workers’ entitlements.
“For us, this is not just about figures. It is about restoring dignity to people who gave the best years of their lives in service to Gombe State,” Alh. Yahaya said.
