By Onuminya Innocent:
The Governor of Sokoto State Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has settled the backlog of gratuities of retired civil servants of the two administrations preceding his.
A statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity Muhammad Bello said over the last seven years the administration had been consistent in the prompt payment to retirees in the state.
The statement further said the governor reiterated his intention to bequeath a purposeful and virile civil service that can deliver the dividends of democracy via provision of incentives and capacity building initiatives.
It added that the administration planned to establish a Public Service Institute in collaboration with the Umaru Shinkafi Polytechnic, Sokoto.
Tambuwal said that the payment of the gratuities which runs into billions of naira will be on first come, first serve basis. He later handed over cheques to the beneficiaries.
According to him, his administration “has settled accumulated gratuities and pension inherited from the previous administrations.”
“On assumption of office in 2015, I directed the payment of gratuity arrears of government/primary teachers from 2000-2008, followed by the settlement of another eight years backlog of gratuity from 2009-2017,” the governor added.
Capping these payments with a third phase covering the period from March 2017- date to local government/primary teachers retirees, the governor said all these was done “in spite of the economic difficulties our nation is passing through.”
“Our administration,” he explained, “has remained committed to the welfare of the state’s civil servants and senior citizens, who have spent the best part of their lives serving the people.”
He further explained that in addition to the payment of the gratuities, “the payment of salaries and pension has not stopped since the assumption of his administration in 2015.”
He said this was because of the premium his administration places on citizens of the state who “deserve to live a decent life, especially our senior citizens, who have given the best of their lives to the service of our dear state.”
Impressive