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The government of Enugu State has started paying money they owe to 7,109 retired workers from the local government.
This is to fix the money problems left by past governments.
The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Professor Chidiebere Onyia, announced this in Enugu on Sunday.
He said these payments match Governor Peter Mbah’s promise to pay back the money owed to retired public workers, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.
Professor Onyia said the state has already given payments to more than 7,000 local government retirees.
This happened after the governor agreed to the suggestions from the Local Government Pensioners Biometric Verification Committee.
This committee’s job was to check and make sure they know the right number of retirees and that real retirees get the money.
“Governor Mbah’s administration wants to reduce poverty and help our citizens live better,” said Onyia.
“By paying off this pension money, we want to make people’s lives better, help them have more money to spend, and grow the economy of Enugu State.”
What you should know
In July alone, almost half a billion naira was paid to local government retirees. This included 989 new retirees who were not part of the pension plan before.
- These retirees stopped working between April 2022 and April 2024. This shows the government’s effort to keep pension records updated.
- But, Professor Onyia said there was a lot of fraud in the pension system before.
- He said that in April 2024, the state was paying pensions to 8,760 local government retirees. But, only 7,109 were real retirees.
- This difference led to a detailed check of the pension system to stop irregularities and make sure only the real retirees get paid.
Professor Onyia confirmed the government’s promise to clear all pension arrears. He explained that the method used by the government is to reduce the back payments over time.
This planned method is to make sure retirees get their benefits quickly and clearly.
“Our government supports our older citizens who worked hard for the state,” Onyia added.
“We aim to clear all unpaid pensions going back to past administrations. Our pension plans include strong rules to stop corruption and keep the system clear, accountable, and efficient.”
Making the pension system digital is a big part of these plans. This ensures all transactions can be tracked and the process remains clear.
The Enugu State Government’s actions are an important step towards making a fair and reliable pension system that will help the state’s economy stay stable.