Enugu Approves ₦32 Billion To Clear Retirees’ Gratuity Arrears, Begins With ₦10 Billion
By DIANA CHUKWUKA
THE Enugu State Government has approved about ₦32 billion to settle outstanding gratuities owed to retired workers, with an initial ₦10 billion tranche scheduled for release from next week.
Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, disclosed the decision on Friday while briefing journalists at Government House, Enugu, after a State Executive Council meeting.
He said the approval formed part of Governor Peter Mbah’s plan to clear inherited gratuity liabilities before the end of his first term. According to him, the state had already made provision for the payments in its 2026 budget, which the Enugu State House of Assembly approved.
“This amount of money was put in the 2026 budget and approved by the Enugu State House of Assembly. So, it is in appropriation law,” Onyia said.
He explained that the government had reviewed the outstanding obligations before arriving at the approved figure. In December 2025, the administration suspended the existing gratuity verification process and established a committee to examine records dating back to 2000.
The committee reviewed records relating to 66,783 people across workforce and pension-gratuity categories. Onyia said the exercise was necessary to establish the actual liabilities, prevent fraudulent claims and ensure that only eligible beneficiaries received payments.
Following the approval, the government plans to release the first ₦10 billion before paying the balance in subsequent tranches. However, the SSG did not provide a detailed timetable for completing the entire payment.
Beyond state-level obligations, the government is also examining gratuity arrears owed to local government retirees. Onyia put the outstanding local government liability at more than ₦10 billion and said Governor Mbah had approved a meeting of the Economic Council to review the figures and determine the way forward.
He added that the current exercise focused on legacy gratuities, while the state had already begun paying outstanding pension obligations to verified beneficiaries.
According to Onyia, retirees who disagree with the verification results can submit complaints to the committee for further review. He also assured retirees that the government intended to settle verified gratuities dating back to 2000.
The administration says clearing these inherited debts will help prevent unpaid retirement benefits from accumulating under future governments. Nevertheless, the success of the initiative will depend on the timely release of the approved funds and the completion of payments to all eligible retirees.
