Kwara State Government has appointed two committees comprising mainly technocrats and Labour leaders to verify the existing gratuities’ records at the state and local government levels and clear pensioners to receive their dues on the basis of when they retired from the civil service.

The eight-person committee for the state gratuities is headed by the Auditor General of the State, while the one for the local government gratuities is headed by the Local Government Auditor General.

Members of the committee are representatives of the retired Permanent Secretaries, the retired civil servants’ association, the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, the Account and Finance Staff (ICAN certified), the Account and Finance Staff (ANAN Certified), Secretary Iyabo Adebayo (for state) and Secretary Mrs Amina Ahmed (Local Government). The committee at the LGA included representatives of the retired LG Civil Servants Association and the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.

“The primary objective of the committee is to ensure the accuracy and transparent compilation of outstanding state and LGA gratuities for eligible pensioners in readiness for automated bank transfer payments,” Commissioner for Finance Dr Hauwa Nuru said in a statement.

The committees’ terms of reference include to request and obtain from the pension board the detailed yearly gratuity schedule of all outstanding liabilities to date, verify the accuracy and completeness of same, confirm the qualification of all pensioners against PSN Number/Pension Number, KWSSRA SSID database, and NIN; ensure proper record reconciliation by cross checking figures against available government records and documents, prioritise payments recommendations chronologically, ensure recommended disbursements start from the oldest outstanding year and progress upward in line with available funds, and ensure accountability and audit readiness in all processes and documentation.