Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has cleared a backlog of N9 billion in gratuities owed to over 6,500 retirees, addressing a debt that had accumulated since 2011. This significant payment marks a relief for state and local government workers who had been waiting for their entitlements for over a decade.

In February, Governor Lawal approved the release of funds to settle the long-standing gratuity payments. According to a statement from the governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Idris, on Saturday, the state has so far disbursed N4.9 billion to retired state workers, spread across nine payment batches.

Additionally, another N4.5 billion has been paid to local government workers, including retired primary school teachers. Idris emphasized that this initiative was part of the governor’s ongoing reforms to restructure the Zamfara State Civil Service.

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The statement highlighted, “So far, 2,666 out of the 3,880 verified state pensioners have received their total gratuities, amounting to N4.86 billion. These retirees left service between 2015 and 2024.”

For local government and primary school retirees, 3,840 out of 4,804 verified beneficiaries have received a total of N4.5 billion. These payments cover workers who retired between 2011 and 2021. The total outstanding arrears for local government retirees stood at N5.6 billion, out of which N4.5 billion has been paid so far.

In total, Zamfara State has disbursed N9.35 billion in gratuities, covering 6,506 beneficiaries out of 8,684 verified retirees. These retirees had served in both state and local government positions, and their years of service range from 2011 to 2024. Governor Lawal’s administration remains committed to clearing the remaining arrears and easing the financial challenges faced by retirees in the state.