Ondo State Government has disclosed that it has paid a total of N12 billion as gratuities to retired workers of the 18 local government areas in the state.
The state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr Amidu Takuro, made this known while briefing journalists in his office in Akure, the state capital, on Friday.
Takuro explained that the administration of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa commenced the payment of the gratuities from 2010 to 2014, assuring that the remaining backlog would also be cleared.
According to him, the funds were drawn from savings made for the local governments, as resolved at the State Joint Allocation Account Committee meeting.
On the payments, the commissioner said, “On gratuities, I want to say we spent over N10 to N12 billion for the payment of gratuities to the local government pensioners because we discovered that these people have served meritoriously.
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“They retired many years ago, but were not paid. Government is continuous, but it wasn’t under our administration that the failure occurred.
“Anyone who retires is entitled to their benefits so they can start a new life.
We discovered that for 10 to 15 years, they had not been paid.”He added that Aiyedatiwa took the initiative to ensure the welfare of retirees by prioritising savings for the purpose.
“The governor said we should look at how best we can start saving money for this purpose, and if we fail to come together at the JAAC meeting, we cannot deduct any money for that purpose.”
Takuro further stressed that the Aiyedatiwa administration was committed to supporting President Bola Tinubu’s grassroots development vision, noting that projects had been executed across the 18 local governments in line with this agenda.
“The Ondo State Government, under the leadership of Lucky Aiyedatiwa, is fully ready to support the vision of the President.
The vision is about grassroots development, and the governor has keyed into it because, without the development of the grassroots, even the central body will suffer.
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“They are the ones providing food for us and many other essentials.
If we make them comfortable in their respective zones, there will be no need for rural-urban migration. And you know, because of rural-urban migration, there will be a scarcity of food.
“The governor knows this, and he believes the only thing we can do is to make sure we provide comfort in their zones.
Once we provide social amenities for them, there will be no need for them to leave their rural areas for the cities, because they will be comfortable where they are.”
Payment of gratuities and pensions has been a longstanding challenge in many Nigerian states, including Ondo, where successive administrations have struggled to offset huge arrears owed to retired civil servants.
Gratuities, unlike pensions, are one-off payments due to workers immediately after retirement to help them transition into post-service life.
However, due to financial constraints, poor planning, and competing governance priorities, many retirees across the country have faced delays spanning several years.
