Musa Na Allah, Sokoto
Sokoto state government has reaffirmed its commitment to payment of monthly pensions and gratuities to retired civil servants as at when due.
The spokesperson of the State Ministry of Finance, Sarajo Ibrahim Gada, in a statement made available to Journalists on Sunday assured all retirees in the state of prompt payment of their entitlements.
The statement noted that the committee set up by the state government to oversee the payment of gratuity to retired civil servants under the leadership of the State Accountant General (SAG) was up and doing in the execution of their ad-hoc mandate.
It further affirmed that all eligible retirees would receive their retirement benefits based on a first come first served without delay.
Chairman of the Committee, Malam Umar Ahmad Tambuwal, who also doubles as the SAG, assured retirees of quick attention and timely response to all their complaints as soon as received.
According to the statement, the Committee assured that, retirees who claimed not to have seen or received their payment alerts after undergoing the usual screening process that, their complaints would be thoroughly investigated.
The Accountant General however informed that the committee approves the release of funds to beneficiaries promptly after completion of the screening process.
Other parts of the statement read:
“Some beneficiaries, particularly those living far from the state capital, may however experience some delays in receiving payment alerts due to poor network.
The Accountant General also in the statement clarified that the delays in payments, as reported by a few beneficiaries, were not due to administrative faults, but rather technical issues with the financial institutions, as payments are processed electronically through Banks.
Tambuwal who is the chairman of the Committee reiterated that they are working tirelessly in collaboration with the affected banks to expedite actions on all outstanding payments.
He urged beneficiaries to exercise patience while assuring them that the present administration of Governor Ahmed Aliyu was fully committed to settling the backlog of gratuities owed to all retired civil servants in the state.
