The Ebonyi State Governor Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, in fulfilling his campaign promises, has constituted a committee on the full payment of gratuities owed to the retired civil servants in the state by the past governments from 1996 to 2021.
The Governor directed the committee to take necessary actions to ensure that all the civil servants in the state who have retired from 1996 to 2021 received the payments of whatever outstanding balance owed to them by the past administrations.
Nwifuru told the committee to submit its report within twenty days and urged the members that the directive take immediate effect.
The committee chairman professor (Mrs) Idike while speaking with Newsmen at the old government House in Abakaliki the State Capital said, “The committee has started the payment in accordance with Governor Nwifuru’s directives.
I assure you that the committee will make effort to meet up within the given twenty-day directives by the governor.
“We have ten sub-treasuries in Ebonyi State going by the schedule. We have set up eight points for verification. At each point, the retirees are supposed to have completed their forms and bring the required documents that were listed during our announcement.
“If these requirements are completed, the committee chairman will issue out certificate of clearance and with that the retiree(s) can get into the payment point, which is being handled by the central payroll person for immediate payment.”
AFRIPOST reports that the retirees in their thousands who are supposed to come to the verification center at the formal government EXCO Chambers, Old Government House in Abakaliki the State Capital by 10am usually came by 8am ahead of time.
They were practically overwhelmed with joy which they demonstrated by singing the praises of the State Governor, Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru.
In their songs, they said Nwifuru is a God’s sent angel that has come to restore hope and save the lives of the pensioners in Ebonyi State.
They said, “We have suffered for many years while many people have passed on, based on the refusals of the past administration to pay our gratuities since 1996 to date.
“We are very happy that today, our God-giving Governor has come to wipe away our tears and sufferings.”