Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, has approved the release of N5.81 billion to settle outstanding gratuities owed to retired civil servants and the families of deceased workers, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to improving workers’ welfare.

At a cheque presentation ceremony held at the Government House in Maiduguri, the governor announced that N5,814,830,271.94 would be disbursed to clear long-standing pension obligations.

According to him, N2.99 billion has been earmarked to pay gratuities owed to the families of deceased civil servants, while N2.82 billion will cover gratuities for retirees up to December 2022, including outstanding entitlements for former staff of the Borno State Housing Corporation dating back to 2013.

Zulum said the payment fulfils a key promise of his administration and is intended to provide relief to families and retirees who have waited years for their entitlements.

He disclosed that with the latest intervention, all gratuities owed to civil servants who retired up to 2022 would be fully settled, while the government would immediately begin processing payments for those who retired in 2023.

The governor noted that the state has consistently prioritised pension obligations, including monthly releases for gratuity payments and previous approvals running into billions of naira to offset pension and teachers’ gratuity arrears.

Commissioner for Finance, Lawan Dalorima, described the exercise as another demonstration of the government’s commitment to rewarding years of public service despite competing financial demands.

The Nigeria Labour Congress in Borno welcomed the development, saying the payment would ease the economic burden on pensioners and families of deceased workers while boosting workers’ confidence in the government.

Zulum also assured local government employees that measures were being finalised to improve their welfare, adding that his administration would soon engage labour representatives to address the challenges facing workers at the local government level.