NIGER BEGINS PAYMENT OF N1.7BN GRATUITIES

Niger State Government has commenced payment of N1.7 billion gratuities to retired local government workers in the state in phases in order to ameliorate the sufferings of the retired workers.

Addressing a news conference at the weekend, the Commissioner of Local Government,  Alhaji Yusuf Garba Tagwai represented by the permanent secretary, Aliyu Adamu Garrafini said N500 million had already been released for the first phase.

He said that immediately the payment of the phase was completed the government would commence the next phase of the payment with the payroll of about 1,129 retirees.

The commissioner said that a 26-man committee was inaugurated to handle the screening and the committee reduced the initial submission of N2.7 billion to N1.7 billion which government had decided to pay the backlog.

He disclosed that 184 of the persons whose names appeared in the payroll did not show up for screening nor the next of kin hence government would not pay those who did not show up for screening.

Similarly, he said that the 9,433 staff who were not paid between January to April this year had started receiving theirs while the committee would continue to work to address the problem of ghost workers.