Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has commenced the payment of ₦3.897 billion in gratuities to 1,038 verified retirees of the Local Government Service, primary school teachers and non-teaching staff who retired in 2016.
The payment was officially flagged off on Thursday at the Cocoa Conference Hall of the Governor’s Office in Akure, the Ondo State capital. The beneficiaries are expected to receive their entitlements directly into their bank accounts.
Aiyedatiwa said the payment was not a favour or political gesture but a moral and constitutional obligation owed to workers who had dedicated their productive years to the development of the state.
The governor acknowledged that some retirees had experienced prolonged delays in receiving their benefits, noting that some senior citizens had retired into financial hardship while others died before enjoying the fruits of their labour.
He assured retirees who were not included in the latest batch that his administration remained committed to clearing the outstanding gratuity backlog owed to both state and local government retirees.
The Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Amidu Takuro, said the payment process had progressed through several retirement years, covering beneficiaries from 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and now 2016.
The latest disbursement follows another gratuity payment flagged off earlier in September, when the state began paying ₦3.82 billion to 985 state retirees, covering the 2020 batch and outstanding beneficiaries from 2015 to 2019.
The Head of Service, Segun Odusanya, commended the governor for prioritising the welfare of serving and retired public workers, while the state chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Johnson Osunyemi, also praised the administration for the payment.
Aiyedatiwa further urged retirees to use their gratuities prudently and avoid speculative or high-risk investments that could expose them to financial losses.
The governor also highlighted the Ondo State Residents Health Insurance Scheme, ORANGHIS, which he said includes provisions aimed at providing healthcare support for senior citizens at no cost.
The latest payment forms part of the Ondo State Government’s ongoing efforts to reduce inherited gratuity arrears and settle outstanding obligations to retired public servants.
