VANGUARD
No fewer than 34 outgoing, returning, and sitting governors are leaving a huge burden of unpaid gratuities, while 27 of them are being choked by unpaid multi-billion pension arrears.
Similarly, 13 states are burdened with a backlog of salary arrears and other unpaid benefits to their employees.
Investigations by Vanguard revealed that four states in the South-East, four in the South-West, and five Northern states owe workers salaries.
On pensions, five states in the South-West, five in the South-East, 15 in the North, and two in the South-South owe their retirees a backlog of accumulated pensions.
In the same vein, only about three states nationwide are believed not to owe gratuity to their pensioners.
Akeredolu’s intervention in Ondo
In Ondo State, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, who will finish his second term, next year, met a backlog of seven months’ salary arrears and has paid six, remaining of January 2017 and two months for local government workers.
Ondo State workers are owed N27 billion as gratuities while local government workers are owed N36 billion.
The state chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Victor Amoko, told Vanguard that “a special intervention by the governor was extended to address the huge outstanding arrears of gratuities being owed retirees from 2011 to 2023 with the release of N300 million to pay the gratuities on monthly basis.
Amoko said the gratuities had been paid up till 2014.
Oyebanji inherits N40bn unpaid gratuities in Ekiti
Similarly, Governor Biodun Oyebanji, who began his first term last year, in Ekiti State, inherited from his predecessor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, three months’ salary arrears for state civil servants, and four months’ salary arrears for local government workers.
Retirees were owed seven months’ pensions and unpaid N40 billion in gratuities.
However, Oyebanji has defrayed the arrears to one month for state civil servants and two months for the local government workers and paid three months’ arrears of pensions.
The State Chairman of Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP, Joel Akinola, put the total gratuities at over N40 billion since August 13, 2013, noting that the Governor released N500 million for state pensioners, and N138 million for local government pensioners, which are being disbursed to the beneficiaries.
Akinola said that “Governor Oyebanji has approved a tranche of N700 million to offset part of the gratuities for state pensioners and N250 million to offset part of the local government pensioners.
Ogun owes 18 months’ salary deductions
In Ogun State, Governor Dapo Abiodun owes civil servants 18 months’ salary deductions such as Union dues, cooperative deductions, and pension (Contributory Pension Scheme).
The State Secretary of NUP, Mr Bola Lawal, said out of N68 billion that Governor Abiodun inherited from Ibikunle Amosun’s government, he has paid N3.6 billion.
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