Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Yahaya, has announced that the state government has recovered N1.3bn from former governor Ibrahim Dankwambo. The money will be used to settle pension and gratuity arrears owed to retired workers.
The governor made the announcement while speaking at the swearing-in ceremony of newly appointed commissioners, permanent secretaries and the Head of Civil Service on Thursday.
“We have settled over N7.9bn in gratuity obligations inherited from the previous administration; we ensured timely payment of pensions and implemented the new minimum wage at the state level since February 2020.”
“Now, thanks to the EFCC, we have successfully recovered N1.3bn from Dankwambo; the funds will be used to continue the payment of outstanding pension and gratuities of our retired workers.”
He explained that his administration had launched an investigation into Dankwambo’s tenure in collaboration with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, which led to the recovery of the money.
The governor added that his administration would not relent in its efforts to ensure accountability, transparency and good governance.
He also announced that the government would pay N10,000 to all workers across the board to cushion the effects of the recent removal of fuel subsidy.
“Promotions and other welfare packages are also being fully implemented with full financial benefits,” the governor said.
