Funmi Olaitan, Ibadan

Oyo State government on Thursday, released Two Hundred Million, Nine hundred and Sixty three Thousand, Four Hundred and Ninety Two Naira, Eight Six Kobo (N200,963, 492.86) for the payment of year 2011, 2012 Gratuity for 201 retired civil servants in the state from Grade level 01-07.

Head of Service, Mrs. Olawumi Ogunesan, who made the disbursement of cheques on behalf of the state government to beneficiaries at Old Ministry of Establishment and Training, Secretariat, Ibadan, said the payment is an attestation to the fact that the state government is paying gratuities to pensioners based on merit and without influence or favour.

The HoS represented by the Acting Permanent Secretary, Office of Head of Service, Mrs. Adejoke Eyitayo, appealed to those yet to collect theirs to exercise patience as government is working assiduously to pay them in due course.

Ogunesan revealed that the state government had earlier paid N1.3billion gratuities to retirees last year, admonishing the beneficiaries to use the money judiciously and be careful with fraudsters who may want to swindle them by collecting money from them unlawfully.

Two retirees, Mrs. Adediran Odebisi and Mr. Rasheed Akanbi, speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, appreciated the state government for releasing the huge amount of money as their gratuities, saying that most of them have lost hope of getting it.

The duo reiterated that the procedure followed in paying the money was pure and based on merit as nobody collected anything from them before releasing the money.