The President of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Enugu State Chapter, Comrade Udoagha Ani, has commended Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah and local government chairmen over plans to clear outstanding gratuities owed to retired council workers, with arrears dating back to 2000.
The commendation follows an announcement by the Enugu State chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) that councils will dedicate 10 per cent of their monthly allocations, beginning from October, to settling the decades-old arrears until they are fully cleared.
The Deputy Chairman of Enugu State ALGON and Chairman of Igboeze South Local Government Area, Hon. Ferdinand Ukwueze, announced the decision after the 40th meeting of the Enugu State Economic Planning Commission, chaired by Governor Mbah. The move comes about a week after the Enugu State Executive Council approved more than ₦32 billion to settle outstanding gratuities owed to retired state government workers.
Ani described the development as a welcome step towards addressing the long-standing financial challenges faced by retirees, noting that Governor Mbah had earlier shown the way by announcing plans to clear gratuity arrears owed to former state workers.
“This is another demonstration of His Excellency’s earlier assurance that there won’t be any discrimination in the state while approving the ₦80,000 minimum wage for local government staff,” Ani said.
The NULGE president also commended ALGON for committing part of the councils’ monthly allocations to the payment of gratuities, urging the local governments to sustain the plan until all eligible retirees receive their entitlements. He said the initiative would help restore confidence in the system and demonstrate that the years of service rendered by local government employees are valued.
“This gesture will restore hope and put smiles on the faces of so many retired staff who devoted their productive years to serving our local governments. They deserve to enjoy the fruits of their labour, and we commend Governor Mbah and the local government leadership for taking practical steps towards making that possible,” Ani said.
He urged the state government and local councils to ensure transparent and consistent implementation of the payment plan, stressing that the welfare of retirees must remain a priority and that all eligible beneficiaries should receive their outstanding entitlements.
