The Ondo State Government has announced the payment of N12 billion in gratuities to retired employees of the state’s 18 local government councils.
This disclosure was made on Friday in Akure by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Amidu Takuro, while addressing journalists.
According to Takuro, the administration of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa commenced the payment of gratuities owed between 2010 and 2014, assuring that the remaining backlog would soon be cleared.
He explained that the funds used for the payment were sourced from savings made for the local governments, following a resolution reached during the state’s Joint Allocation Account Committee (JAAC) meeting.
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Speaking further, the commissioner said, “On gratuities, I want to say we spent over N10 to N12bn for the payment of gratuities to the local government pensioners because we discovered that these people have provided their service meritoriously to the people of our states.
“The governor said we have to look at how best we can start saving money for this purpose, and if we fail to come together at the JACC meeting, we will not be able to deduct any money for that purpose.”
Takuro also reaffirmed the Aiyedatiwa administration’s commitment to aligning with President Bola Tinubu’s grassroots development agenda, noting that the government has initiated various developmental projects across all 18 local government areas.
“The Ondo State Government, under the leadership of Lucky Aiyedatiwa, is fully ready to support the vision of the president. The vision is about the development of the grassroots. That is the vision of the president, and the governor is keyed into that to make sure that without the development of our grassroots, even the central body will suffer for it,” he stated.
