Taraba To Pay Gratuities, Death Benefits To 2014 Retirees

Taraba State government has approved the disbursement of gratuities and death benefits for the 2014 batch of retired civil servants in the state.

In a press statement signed by the permanent secretary, Ministry of Finance, Budget, and Economic Planning, Mr Douglas Kisaba, it said the exercise would cover pensioners for January to December 2014.

The ministry said that for the deceased beneficiaries within the said period, their next of kin will stand in for them.

“Affected pensioners are required to attend a verification session on January 21, 2026, at the Taraba State Ministry of Finance, bringing relevant documents such as Union and National Identity Cards, Pension Approval Letters, First and Last Appointment Letters, and Gratuity Computation Sheets.

“Next of kin of deceased retirees must provide letters of administration in addition to the aforementioned documents.”

The statement encouraged all affected retirees and beneficiaries to participate in this verification process to ensure timely and efficient payment of benefits.

However, the statement did not specify the amount of funds allocated for the gratuity payments, which may be disclosed to the public at a later date.

Comrade El-Nathan Auta Bila, Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) Taraba State Council, commended Governor Kefas for this decision and urged him to fulfill the approval completely.

He advised the governor to honour additional commitments made to pensioners since taking office, with regards to the payment of the N32,000 and N70,000 minimum wage pension increases.

He appealed to Governor Kefas to consider including local government pensioners in the gratuity payments, and suggested that, pensioners be involved in the screening committee for improve outcomes.

Bila urged the governor to keep to his word, as pensioners in the state represent a significant voting bloc that could favour the governor in 2027.