Government spends N4bn on pension, gratuity in 2 years

Alhaji Sa’idu Umar, Sokoto State Commissioner for Finance, said that the state government spent N4 billion for the payment of pension and gratuity of retired civil servants from 2016 to date.

Umar spoke in an interview with newsmen shortly after defending the Sokoto State 2018 budget proposal before the state House of Assembly Committee on Finance and Appropriation in Sokoto.

He said that the government had since identified various measures to ensure more revenue generation to collect adequate funds for the implementation of the 2018 budget.

“We are fully committed to ensure best percentage of budget implementation in our various Ministry’s, Departments and Agencies (), to enable more development in the state,” he said.

The commissioner added that the government had spent over N2 billion in 2016 for the payment of the retired civil servants while in 2017, about N2 billion was also paid for same purpose.

He said, “thus the state 2017 budget implementation was not as expected due to low flow of cash in its revenue generation”.

Umar said much had been achieved in revenue generation, adding that the state was one of the few which salaries, pension, gratuity and all civil servants’ arrears were promptly paid as when due.

While assuring the public of a general improvement in the performance of the 2018 budget, Umar said that the government would strengthen the activities of its Board of Internal Revenue to successfully generate appropriate funds for implementation.

The Committee Chairman, Alhaji Malami Muhammad (APC-Sokoto South II), assured that the assembly would continue to support the government in its bid to develop the state.