By Khalid Idris Doya
The Bauchi State Government has completed the payment of gratuity arrears to retired state and local government civil servants who left service in 2012 and 2013, with payments for the 2014 batch scheduled to commence on Monday, October 12, 2026.
The exercise is part of the N10 billion approved by Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed as the first tranche of payments to address longstanding gratuity arrears owed to retired civil servants in the state.
In a statement issued on Friday, the governor's spokesperson, Mukhtar Gidado, said the high-powered committee on the verification and payment of gratuities had successfully completed payments to pensioners in the 2012 and 2013 batches.
He said the committee had informed pensioners in both the state and local government services that the payment exercise would continue on Monday with the commencement of payments to those who retired in 2014.
According to the statement, subsequent payments will be made in batches, covering eligible pensioners up to 2016.
Gidado said the payments would be conducted at two designated centres including the local government audit office and the State Audit Office.
The committee urged affected pensioners to remain calm and cooperate with the relevant authorities to ensure a smooth, transparent and orderly exercise.
It also reaffirmed the commitment of the Bala Mohammed-led administration to clearing outstanding gratuity arrears owed to pensioners at both state and local government levels.
The statement added that the government would continue to take necessary measures to ensure that eligible retirees received their entitlements in a transparent and timely manner.
CW had reported that, during the 2026 Pensioners' Day celebration in Bauchi on Monday, the state chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Bauchi State Council, Comrade Abdullahi Alhassan Misau, disclosed that N3 billion out of the N10 billion approved for the payment of gratuity arrears had been released.
Misau said the amount was meant to cover pensioners who retired between 2012 and 2013, while the files of those who retired between 2014 and 2016 had been screened for payment.
He commended the governor for approving the N10 billion for the exercise but appealed to him to intensify efforts to clear the outstanding gratuity arrears before the expiration of his tenure.
The NUP chairman also urged the state government to address cases involving pensioners whose names were omitted from previous payment schedules and those who were underpaid.
According to him, the affected pensioners had outstanding arrears ranging from two to 30 months.
Misau further disclosed that the governor had approved N2 million for monthly payments to pensioners, describing the gesture as evidence of the administration's concern for their welfare.
He said the union remained grateful to the governor for the initiative and expressed hope that the government would address the outstanding demands of retired civil servants.
The NUP chairman also appealed to the state government to construct a permanent office for the union, disclosing that it had already acquired land for the project.
"We have been living in rented quarters for over 30 years," he said.
Misau further commended the governor for implementing the N32,000 minimum pension, which he described as a significant step towards improving the welfare of retirees.
He said the move attracted the attention of the NUP national headquarters in Abuja and led to the governor being recognised by the union as a pensioner-friendly governor.
The state government had earlier announced the commencement of the disbursement of N10 billion as the first tranche of payments towards settling long-standing gratuity arrears owed to about 1,700 retired state and local government civil servants.
The exercise is aimed at reducing inherited gratuity liabilities and providing financial relief to retirees across the state's 20 local government areas.
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