Enugu to Begin ₦32bn Legacy Gratuity Payments Next Week

The Enugu State Government has approved ₦32 billion to clear outstanding legacy gratuities owed to retired workers, with the first ₦10 billion tranche scheduled for release next week as Governor Peter Mbah’s administration moves to settle retirement benefits accumulated over several years.

The Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, announced the approval on Friday, October 16, after a State Executive Council meeting at the Government House in Enugu. He said the payment plan followed a verification exercise designed to establish the actual amount owed to retirees and ensure that public funds went to eligible beneficiaries.

Onyia said the outstanding gratuities dated back to 2000 and represented liabilities inherited from previous administrations. According to him, the state government suspended its existing verification process in December 2025 and set up a committee to examine retirees’ records and supporting documents before determining the amount due.

The ₦32 billion provision was included in Enugu’s 2026 budget, which was approved by the State House of Assembly. Onyia said the first ₦10 billion would kick-start the payments, with further releases planned until the verified state-level gratuity arrears were cleared.

The Secretary to the State Government also disclosed that the verification committee had reviewed records relating to 66,783 serving and retired workers across workforce and pension-gratuity categories. He said the process was intended to identify legitimate claims, prevent irregular payments and reduce the risk of fraudulent beneficiaries receiving public funds. Retirees who disagree with their verification results have been asked to submit complaints to the committee at the Office of the Secretary to the State Government for review.

The state government is also reviewing unpaid gratuities owed to local government retirees, whose outstanding liabilities Onyia put at more than ₦10 billion. He said Mbah had approved a meeting of the State Economic Council to examine those obligations and consider a framework for payment. However, the announcement did not establish a confirmed disbursement date for the local government arrears.

Onyia distinguished the legacy gratuity settlement from pension payments, saying the administration had continued paying pensions and gratuities to workers retiring under the current government while working through outstanding obligations. He also disclosed plans to move workers towards the contributory pension scheme, with the aim of preventing the repeated accumulation of unpaid retirement liabilities.

The latest announcement follows an earlier commitment by the state government to address retirement benefits through its annual budget. In March 2025, the government said it had begun paying gratuities to state civil servants who retired from January that year, while arrears for workers who retired between 2010 and 2024 were being held for verification before payment in instalments.

For retirees awaiting benefits earned during their years in public service, the planned release represents a significant step towards settling long-standing claims. The immediate test will be how quickly verified beneficiaries receive payment and how the government accounts for the remaining state-level balance, while the separate local government liabilities remain to be addressed.