Akwa Ibom to defray arrears of gratuities to 247 LG pensioners

The Akwa Ibom Government says it has concluded plans to pay arrears of gratuities owed 247 retirees from some local government areas.

The state Accountant General, Mr Uwem Andrew, disclosed this yesterday in Uyo in a statement announcing the schedule for the payment.

The statement explained that the selected 247 local government pensioners were those left out in the previous interventions by the state government.

The state government, however, said its gesture was only an intervention, stressing that payment of salaries and gratuities to teachers and local government employees was still the sole responsibility of local councils.

According to Andrew, the beneficiaries were drawn from 10 local government areas of Abak, Eket, Etim Ekpo, Etinan, Ibesikpo/Asutan, Ikono, Oron, Ukanafun, Uruan and Uyo.

Andrew directed the prospective beneficiaries to appear for their cheques with two passport photographs, pension identification cards, letters of employment, promotion letters as well as letters of retirement from service.

The state government has said that Gov. Udom Emmanuel had defrayed 10-year backlog of pensions and gratuities to both teachers and local government employees since his assumption of office on My 29, 2015.

NAN recalled that the state Commissioner for Finance, Mr Linus Nkan, had last Friday acknowledged the receipt of the second tranche of N10 billion Paris Debt Refund from the Federal Government.

Nkan had said that outstanding pension and gratuity issues and arrears of workers’ entitlements would be sorted out with the money. (NAN)