‎Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, has cleared a N12bn backlog of gratuities owed to retired staff of eight local government councils in the state.

‎At a ceremony on Thursday in Yenagoa, symbolic cheques worth N12bn were presented to over 1,000 retirees as they showered praises on the governor.

‎While at it, the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees honoured Diri as the Best Governor on Local Government Reforms in Nigeria following his concern for the welfare of council workers.

‎NULGE President, Comrade Aliyu Kankara, presented the award to the governor in Yenagoa during a conference on “Promoting Local Government Workers’ Welfare: The Bayelsa Model.”

‎He highlighted the governor’s achievements including the transforming of the local government system in the state through the introduction of fiscal policy reforms that repositioned the third tier of government for better service delivery, staff welfare, regular promotions and financial benefits.

‎He added that the implementation of N80,000 minimum wage for council workers and an additional 25 and 30 per cent salary increase, as well as the government’s support to councils in the payment of primary school teachers’ salaries, were some of the testimonies of the union members.

‎According to Kankara, “The Governor of Bayelsa State has excelled where many other state governors have failed in human capital development by prioritising the welfare of workers in the state, particularly those at the grassroots level.

‎“From available information, Governor Diri’s administration has paid over N20 billion as arrears of gratuity to retired workers in Bayelsa State since he was sworn in in 2020.”

‎The National President of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, Dr Kabir Sani, also appreciated Diri for improving the lives of local government workers in the state, including those from his union.

‎In his remarks, Governor Diri said regular payment of salaries to workers and gratuity to retirees were his responsibilities as an elected leader of the state and should not be celebrated.

‎According to the governor, he was initially accused of playing political games to score himself some cheap points for doing the right thing in offsetting the backlog of gratuities, which dated back to 2007.

‎Speaking further, Diri said his vision for government at all levels is to secure the livelihood of the people, enhance food availability and generate more revenue.

‎Diri stated, “The moment you retire at 60 or 65 years, you become a senior citizen and you are entitled to your gratuity. In other climes, it is taken for granted. Therefore we should not celebrate it.

‎“Initially, some persons queried it when I started immediately paying gratuities. They said previous administrations did not pay.

‎“I reminded such critics that my father was a teacher, a headmaster. If not for the opportunity of a child like me, he would have died without his pensions and gratuity.

‎“Having that at the back of my mind, one of the priorities I had was to ensure that the backlog of gratuities were cleared. I recall a particular month we had a windfall in our allocation, I directed the payment of seven billion Naira for gratuity and pensions.”

‎He commended his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, for effective supervision of the councils and for ensuring a proper implementation of the reforms.

‎In a welcome address, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief Thompson Amule, said before the Diri administration, only four councils managed to pay salaries regularly.

‎He added that workers were not being promoted any more for more than five years but that the present administration swiftly introduced fiscal reforms to engender financial security in the system.

‎Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, the chairman of Kolokuma/Opokuma council, Mr Lelei Tariye, said the local government system in the state is working because the government has adhered strictly to autonomy for the councils even before the Supreme Court judgment.

‎The presentation of N12 billion cheques to over 1000 retirees across the eight local government areas became the highlight of the Thursday event.