The Enugu State Government has approved about ₦32 billion to settle outstanding legacy gratuities owed to retired workers, with an initial tranche of ₦10 billion expected to be released from next week.
The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, disclosed this on Friday while briefing journalists at the Government House, Enugu, after the State Executive Council meeting.
Onyia, who addressed the press alongside the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Dr. Malachy Agbo; Commissioner for Lands and Urban Development, Barr. Chimaobi Okorie; and Commissioner for Human Development and Poverty Eradication, Prof. Benedett Ekwutosi Okoli, said the move reflected Governor Peter Mbah’s administration’s commitment to clearing inherited gratuity liabilities before the end of its first tenure.
He explained that the outstanding obligations had been inherited from previous administrations and that provisions for their settlement were included in the 2026 budget, which had been approved by the Enugu State House of Assembly.
“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.
According to the SSG, the approval followed a structured verification exercise aimed at determining the actual amount owed to retirees and ensuring that payments would be made only to legitimate beneficiaries.
He said the government suspended the existing gratuity verification process in December 2025 and constituted a committee to examine records dating back to 2000.
The committee reviewed retirees’ records and supporting documents to establish the state’s verified liabilities, with the approximately ₦32 billion approved by the State Executive Council reflecting the outcome of the exercise.
Onyia said the first ₦10 billion tranche would kick-start payments, while subsequent releases would be made until the entire verified liability was cleared.
He added that the government was also working to address outstanding gratuity obligations at the local government level, where liabilities were estimated at more than ₦10 billion.
According to him, Governor Mbah had approved a meeting of the Economic Council to review the local government liabilities and facilitate the commencement of payments to retired local government workers.
He said the objective was to ensure that local government retirees also began receiving their outstanding gratuities alongside their counterparts at the state level.
The SSG clarified that the current exercise focused on legacy gratuities, noting that the administration had already commenced payments of outstanding pension obligations following the verification of eligible beneficiaries.
“The gratuity owed to every retiree across the board from 2000 will be paid,” he stated.
Onyia further disclosed that the verification committee, which he chaired, had reviewed records covering 66,783 persons across workforce and pension-gratuity categories.
He said the exercise was necessary to prevent fraudulent claims, eliminate irregularities and ensure that public funds were paid to genuine beneficiaries.
However, he encouraged retirees who had concerns about the verification results to submit their complaints to the committee for further review.
The SSG said clearing the inherited gratuity arrears was a critical step towards preventing the continued accumulation of unpaid retirement benefits and ensuring that future administrations would not inherit similar liabilities.
He reaffirmed the Mbah administration’s commitment to settling verified legacy obligations, sustaining payments to eligible pensioners and establishing a more sustainable pension system in Enugu State.
