Oyo State Government says it has so far disbursed about N280 million paying the gratuity of 100 retired civil servants.
The Head of Service (HoS), Mrs Amidat Agboola, said this on Thursday, while presentating cheques to the beneficiaries in Ibadan.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the beneficiaries included those that retired from the state civil service in 2012, ranging from Grade Level 1 to 17.
Agboola expressed the commitment of the Seyi Makinde-led administration to pay priority attention to the welfare of pensioners in the state.
The HoS, who was represented by the Acting Permanent Secretary, Mrs Adejoke Eyitayo, advised the retirees to utilise their gratuity judiciously.
She encouraged them to embark on profitable business ventures that would benefit them and their families.
She said that the beneficiaries were selected on merit and denied the allegation that the process was partial.
Agboola admonished them not to engage anybody, who might ask to be paid a certain percentage of the gratuity, in order to facilitate the process for the payment of their legitimately earned gratuity.
She advised retiring civil servants to strive to process their retirement papers in time for prompt payment of their gratuities.
According to her, government would only process payment for those whose retirement documents were completed.
Mr Taiwo Tanimowo, who spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries, commended the state government for putting in place necessary logistics that facilitated the prompt payment of the gratuity.
