The Zamfara State Government has disclosed that no fewer than 494 Zamfara State local government retirees have received their gratuities.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Malam Garba Ahmad Gusau, made the disclosure to newsmen in Gusau, the State capital.

According to Ahmad, the State government had planned to pay gratuities to over 5,000 local government retirees as 494 have already received their payments after due verification by the Ministry.

He further stated that the first batch of the retirees were from 2011 to 2013, and have already been settled, adding that the second batch are those who retired from 2015 to 2016, numbering over 405 while the batch three are 500, and would be paid when the governor releases the money.

Gusau said the committee had 30 days to complete the exercise despite challenges ranging from processing payments for the dead beneficiaries and the missing of parts of integral documents presented by some retirees.

“For those who found some of their required documents missing as result of either fire accident or misplacement, we suggested they should obtain clearing letters from the courts”, he said.

He also called on the beneficiaries to put their money into good use by supporting their families, and establishing small scale businesses to support themselves.