The Enugu State Government has approved ₦32 billion to settle outstanding gratuity arrears owed to retired civil servants dating back to 2000, with an initial ₦10 billion payment expected next week.
The Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, disclosed the approval on Friday, October 16, 2026, after the State Executive Council meeting in Enugu, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Onyia said the funds had been provided for in the 2026 state budget and approved by the Enugu State House of Assembly.
He explained that the government had undertaken a verification exercise to establish the actual amounts owed to eligible retirees and ensure that payments were made to legitimate beneficiaries.
According to NAN, the state government plans to make further payments of ₦10 billion monthly as it works to clear the verified liabilities.
The figures, however, leave a balance that requires clarification. After the initial ₦10 billion payment, ₦22 billion would remain. Two further payments of ₦10 billion would bring the total to ₦30 billion, leaving ₦2 billion outstanding.
The government’s reported payment schedule runs through December 2026, but the precise timing of the final balance was not specified in the information available.
Onyia also disclosed that outstanding gratuity liabilities owed to local government retirees exceeded ₦10 billion.
He said Governor Peter Mbah had approved a meeting of the State Economic Council to review the local government liabilities and develop a payment framework.
The government has also directed retirees with complaints about the verification exercise to submit them to the committee operating under the Office of the Secretary to the State Government.
The approval is part of the state government’s efforts to address inherited retirement obligations and settle outstanding benefits owed to former public servants.
The state-level ₦32 billion settlement is separate from the liabilities owed to local government retirees, for which the government said a review and payment framework would be considered.
