By Abdullahi Alhassan
Civil servants in Borno State have begun receiving long-awaited financial entitlements following Governor Babagana Umara Zulum’s directive for the immediate payment of outstanding leave grants and promotion benefits covering three years.
The payments, which started reflecting in workers’ bank accounts on Thursday, continued over the weekend, bringing relief and excitement to employees across the state.
The development followed a meeting between Governor Zulum and the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) on Monday, August 17.
The meeting came after the Office of the Head of Service submitted a proposal on the outstanding workers’ entitlements for the Governor’s consideration.
Following the discussions, Zulum approved the immediate payment of promotion benefits for civil servants for the 2023, 2024 and 2025 years, as well as leave grants for eligible workers for the 2025 session.
The Governor also directed a review of salary arrears owed workers in the secondary and tertiary education sectors, with implementation targeted for September 2026.
The latest intervention adds to a series of measures introduced by the Zulum administration since 2019 to improve the welfare of serving workers, retirees and families of deceased civil servants.
The administration has invested substantially in clearing inherited liabilities, including N8 billion used to settle pension and gratuity obligations accumulated between 2019 and 2021 for retired primary school teachers and other civil servants.
Another N5.8 billion was released to address outstanding gratuities owed families of deceased civil servants and pensioners, while N200 million is allocated monthly toward the settlement of outstanding gratuity obligations.
The administration has also introduced a health insurance scheme and implemented other welfare measures covering salaries, pensions, gratuities, promotions and workers’ transportation.
Governor Zulum has repeatedly pledged to clear outstanding workers’ entitlements before the expiration of his tenure.
Labour Leaders Applaud Governor
Organised labour in the state has welcomed the latest payment, describing it as evidence of the Governor’s responsiveness to workers’ concerns.
NLC Chairman, Comrade Yusuf Inuwa, and his TUC counterpart, Comrade Mohammed Baba, commended Zulum for approving and releasing the funds within a short period.
The labour leaders also praised the administration for maintaining regular payment of salaries, pensions and other workers’ entitlements.
They said the latest payment demonstrated the Governor’s willingness to respond promptly to issues raised by organised labour.
“Less than one week after the Governor’s directive, the payments hit the accounts of civil servants,” the labour leaders said.
They described Zulum as a listening governor, noting that workers’ concerns presented to him were often given prompt attention.
According to them, the development further underscores the administration’s commitment to improving the welfare and morale of the Borno State workforce.
