Ahmad Hamisu Gwale
The Kano State Government, under the leadership of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, has announced the disbursement of N32 billion out of the N48 billion inherited backlog of unpaid gratuities and death benefits owed to retired and deceased civil servants.
The Independent Mirror reports that the figures were contained in an infographic issued by Ibrahim Adam, Special Adviser to the Governor on Social Media.
According to the state government, the payments were made through six successive tranches, with the administration prioritising the settlement of outstanding pension-related obligations.
The government said the N48 billion inherited liability represented unpaid gratuities and death benefits, while N16 billion remains outstanding after the payment of N32 billion.
The six payment tranches included N6 billion for 4,915 retirees; N5 billion for 1,722 retirees; another N5 billion for 1,579 retirees; N6 billion for 3,313 retirees; N5 billion for 1,026 retirees; and a final N5 billion tranche, bringing the cumulative amount cleared to N32 billion.
The administration further stated that all death benefits were included and paid, while unapproved percentage deductions were stopped to ensure that retirees receive 100 per cent of their pension payments.
The government also disclosed the release of N4.5 billion as a housing cheque for pension investment and asset recovery.
According to the information contained in the government’s statement, the pension and gratuity payments were funded entirely through Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and FAAC allocations, without resorting to commercial loans.
The development is being presented by the Kano State Government as part of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s efforts to address inherited pension obligations and improve the welfare of retired civil servants across the state.
