Gombe State Governor, Inuwa Yahaya, has said the state is enjoying the gains of fuel subsidy removal by the federal government.

He said this during the presentation of cheques and payment of the backlog of gratuities to state and local government retirees on Tuesday in Gombe.

Mr Yahaya said the measure was part of a reform to save the country from collapse, as there were no alternatives to subsidy removal.

The governor said the measure facilitated a significant increase in federal allocation to the states, enabling them to undertake more meaningful projects in the state.

He said the Bola Tinubu administration reforms were necessary to put the country on the path of sustainable growth in the interest of Nigerians.

“We are able to do more developmental projects in the state because of the increased allocations as a result of subsidy removal.

“All these improvements would have been difficult to achieve without these funds. The reforms are necessary, though painful, but when things are fixed properly, the benefits will be worth it,” he said.

On pension benefits, Mr Yahaya said the government would disburse N8.2 billion in gratuity arrears to retirees.

“The sum comprises N6.6 billion for 2,142 retirees of the state government and N1.6 billion for 1,062 retirees from local government areas, making a total of 3,204 retirees,” he said.

He said the payment for state government retirees would cover 2021, 2022 and 2023, while that for local government retirees would be for a year depending on the LGA.

“With today’s disbursement, our cumulative gratuity payment has reached a historic N33.826 billion since 2019.

“I make bold to say that in the entire history of Gombe State, no administration has demonstrated a comparable commitment to the welfare of our retirees who have served our state with hard work and dedication,” Mr Yahaya said.

(NAN)