The Nasarawa State Government has commenced quarterly payment of gratuities to 1,389 retirees from the state and local government civil service.

The Director of Human Resources at the state pension bureau, Abdullahi Ibrahim, disclosed this while speaking during the exercise on Wednesday in Lafia.

Mr Ibrahim said the quarterly payment system was introduced by the administration of Governor Abdullahi Sule to address the backlog of gratuities inherited by the government.

He explained that the first quarterly payment for 2026 amounted to N300 million, covering beneficiaries from both the state and local government services.

According to him, the bureau has also forwarded a memo to the governor, seeking approval for the release of funds to commence payment of outstanding gratuities for retirees from 2013.

The director dismissed allegations of irregularities in the selection of beneficiaries, stressing that the Pension Bureau was not responsible for the process.

He explained that selection was carried out transparently by a disbursement committee constituted by the Industrial Court and chaired by the deputy governor.

He added that members of the committee were drawn from various stakeholders, including the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), the Concerned Pensioners’ Group, relevant ministries, and the director-general of the state pension bureau.

“The committee ensures a seamless and transparent selection process, while the bureau implements the decisions. The process is based on a first-come, first-served policy,” he said.

Mr Ibrahim noted that the Sule administration had remained consistent in the payment of pensions, with retirees receiving their entitlements as and when due.

He appealed to retirees to be patient, assuring them that the bureau, led by the director-general, Suleiman Nagogo, was committed to ensuring that outstanding entitlements were paid.

The state government released over N5 billion in 2025 to clear gratuity backlogs from 1999 to 2012. 

(NAN)