Benue Govt. pays N152m gratuity to 47 retired Perm Secs

The Benue Government says it has paid N152 million as gratuities to 47 retired permanent secretaries since 2016.
Mr Inwata Adaikwu, Benue Head of Service (HoS), said this on Friday in Makurdi while giving account of his stewardship in the past two years.

Adaikwu said that 33 of the beneficiaries retired during previous administrations while 14 were retirees of the present administration.

He said that Gov. Samuel Ortom’s administration was committed to the welfare of its retired workers and was working tirelessly to ensure prompt payment of pensions.

Adaikwu denied allegations of favoritism in the payment of gratuities, explaining that “the beneficiaries were paid evenly and in installments”.

He said the state saved N20 million from the screening of pensioners as “ghost pensioners failed to appear for screening”.

Adaikwu said the government would overhaul pension administration in the state to make it effective and transparent.

“Government has constituted a committee to overhaul pension administration, which is a step towards integrating the state into the contributory pension scheme,” he said.

Adaikwu said that 286 civil servants benefitted from regular promotions since the inception of the administration, adding that promotion examinations were also held for about 2000 staff at different levels.

He said the Office of the HoS constructed 10 new moderate housing units to be allocated to civil servants and purchased a 500KVA transformer for the owner-occupier community in Makurdi.

The HoS, however, said that the irregular remittance of deductions from workers’ salaries by the state Ministry of Finance was affecting its operations.
He appealed to workers to support the present administration in the state by shunning all acts of corruption as well as exposing corrupt practices.