Kaduna state governor Nasir El-Rufai has approved N1.24 billion for the payment of gratuities and death benefits to state workers and their dependents.

Currently, all state and local government retirees and the families of deceased beneficiaries that were civil servants will be covered by this program, according to Kaduna State Pension Bureau Executive Secretary, Prof. Salamatu Isah.

In a press briefing on Monday, Isah announced that N1.04bn would be paid out to retired persons and their beneficiaries in the 23 local governments of the state.

This will be the 14th payment to be made under the local government’s next-of-kin scheme for retirees and beneficiaries of deceased

She added that N200m had been allocated as the 16th batch of the state gratuity and death benefits in the Defined Benefit Scheme.

Isah said the shortlisted names of the beneficiaries for the local government and state would soon be posted on all its social media handles, at the pension bureau, and other zonal offices of the local governments.

She added that the rumour that seven LGAs had been paid all their outstanding gratuities and death benefits under the Defined Benefit Scheme was untrue.

As of 3rd March 2022, the Kudan Local Government Area was the first to have settled its outstanding liabilities, she said.