Thousands of retirees in Bauchi State are set to receive long-awaited gratuity payments as the state government begins the disbursement of about N11.7 billion owed to former civil servants.
The payment covers 5,736 retirees whose retirement benefits have remained outstanding for years, with some debts dating back to 2012.
Bauchi State Deputy Governor Auwal Jatau announced the development on behalf of Governor Bala Mohammed, saying the move is part of efforts to reduce the state’s inherited pension liabilities.
Government records show that the total outstanding gratuity stands at N11.704 billion, covering retirees from 2012 to 2016.
Of the amount, about N6.13 billion is owed to 3,570 former state government workers, while approximately N5.58 billion is owed to 2,256 local government retirees.
The government has approved an initial N10 billion for the exercise, with payments expected to be made in batches.
Officials said the order of payment will take into account factors including how long the debt has been outstanding, availability of funds, proper documentation and successful verification of beneficiaries.
Who will receive the first payments?
The first phase is expected to cover local government retirees from 2012 and 2013, as well as state civil service retirees from 2013.
However, the government said retirees who are not included in the first batch will still receive their entitlements as the exercise continues.
Authorities acknowledged that some pensioners have waited for more than a decade for their gratuities, while some reportedly died before receiving their benefits.
To prevent problems during the process, the government directed the pension commission, Head of Service and participating banks to reduce bureaucratic delays and guard against corruption and favouritism.
Verification teams were also instructed to give special consideration to elderly and physically challenged retirees.
Pensioners have been advised to cooperate with officials and provide the necessary documents to complete the verification process.
The latest payment plan follows other measures taken by the state government to address pension obligations. Under Bauchi’s 2025 budget, N5 billion was allocated for gratuities while N8.5 billion was earmarked for pensions.
Beyond settling the existing backlog, the government said it plans to introduce a fully automated pension system to help prevent unpaid retirement benefits from accumulating in the future.
Source: Bauchi State Government
