The Kwara State Government has inaugurated two nonpartisan technical committees to audit and verify gratuity records for pensioners at both the state and local government levels.
The State Gratuity Committee, comprising eight members, is chaired by the Auditor-General of the State, while the Local Government Gratuity Committee is headed by the Local Government Auditor-General.
Members include representatives of retired permanent secretaries, retired civil servants’ associations, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC), and professional accountants certified by ICAN and ANAN.
The Local Government Committee also includes representatives from the Retired Local Government Civil Servants Association and the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
According to the Commissioner for Finance, Hauwa Nuru, the initiative aims to promote transparency, accountability, and fairness in the payment of outstanding gratuities to retired civil servants.
Nuru said the committees are tasked with ensuring the accurate and transparent compilation of verified gratuity data in preparation for automated bank transfer payments to eligible retirees.
The committees are mandated to obtain and verify yearly gratuity schedules from the pension boards, confirm pensioners’ eligibility using PSN or pension numbers, the KWSSRA SSID database, and National Identification Numbers (NIN), reconcile records for accuracy, and prioritise payments starting from the oldest outstanding year.
The commissioner explained that the process would ensure proper record reconciliation, strengthen accountability, and enhance audit readiness while guaranteeing that payments are made transparently and according to available funds.
She further expressed confidence that the exercise would restore trust among pensioners and improve the overall integrity of Kwara State’s pension administration system.
