•Payment begins Wednesday

•Arrears of traditional rulers, SUBEB, LG workers paid from money

Long-standing pension and gratuity arrears covering years 2009 and 2010 for local government retirees will be paid 100% from the SURE-P refund recently received from the Federal Government, according to a statement by the Kwara State Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Community Development.

Commissioner for the Ministry Hon. Lafia Aliyu Kora-Sabi said in the statement that the payment will begin on Wednesday December 21 at 10a.m.

“Also, all categories of workers under the payroll of 16 Local Government Areas of Kwara State have received part of the arrears inherited from the previous administration from the release of N3.5 billion Sure-P refund,” the statement added.

“The gesture further demonstrates the transparency of the present administration and non-interference with any accruals to the Local Government Council in the State.”

The statement said provisions were also made for payments of arrears of allowances to Traditional Rulers, while money was also allocated to capital projects across the local council areas in the refund.

He disclosed that the sums of One Billion (N1bn) was allocated for payments of Local Government Workers and SUBEB workers' arrears, while another One Billion (N1bn) was provided for payment of Pension and Gratuity.

Kora-Sabi disclosed that the sum of three hundred and twenty million (N320m) went into paying outstanding allowances to the Traditional Rulers across the State, another Five hundred and seventy -four million (N574m) was allocated for capital projects among the Sixteen Local Government Councils, while some Fifteen percent of the total sum was paid to the consultant as agreed at the Nigerian Governors' Forum.

Oba Azeez,
Press Secretary,
Ministry of Local Government
Chieftaincy Affairs and Community
Development.