The Association of Former Elected Councilors (AFEC) in Taraba State has appealed to Governor Agbu Kefas to urgently settle the outstanding severance allowances and gratuities owed to its members, saying many former local government officials are facing severe hardship after waiting more than 26 years for their entitlements.
Key Highlights:
- AFEC says former elected councilors have waited over 26 years for severance and gratuity payments.
- Association urges Governor Agbu Kefas to fulfil his earlier promise to resolve the issue.
- Members claim some former council officials have died or fallen seriously ill while awaiting payment.
- AFEC says the matter has been taken to the National Industrial Court after years of unsuccessful appeals.
- The association argues that local government allocations were controlled by the state, preventing councils from paying statutory benefits.
- AFEC calls for an amicable resolution in the interest of justice, fairness and humanitarian consideration.
Addressing journalists in Jalingo on Wednesday, AFEC Chairman, Mr. Bala Maina, said the prolonged delay in settling the benefits has subjected members to untold hardship, with many struggling to survive.
According to Maina, successive administrations failed to address the issue despite repeated appeals and legal efforts. He recalled that Governor Kefas, before assuming office in 2023, assured members that their outstanding benefits would be paid within his first year in office and promised to maintain regular engagement with the association.
He, however, lamented that neither of those promises has been fulfilled.
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“Our members are passing through untold hardship as a result of the non-payment of our benefits. Some have become critically ill, while others have died waiting for justice,” Maina said.
The association noted that former local government political office holders continue to endure severe economic difficulties due to the prolonged delay in the payment of their statutory entitlements.
AFEC commended Governor Kefas for clearing pension and gratuity arrears owed to state and local government workers but appealed to him to extend the same gesture to former elected council officials.
According to the association, those affected include former supervisory councilors, elected councilors, vice chairmen, secretaries to local government councils and special advisers who served across Taraba State’s 16 local government areas from 1999 to date.
Maina explained that during their tenure, allocations from the Federation Account were controlled by the state government, making it impossible for local government councils to pay furniture allowances, gratuities and severance benefits after the expiration of their tenure.
“Upon our disengagement from office, we could not pay ourselves these statutory entitlements because allocations to the local governments were under the control of the executive governor, who applied the funds to purposes other than the welfare of local government political office holders,” he stated.
The AFEC chairman said the association had presented its case to several government officials, including the Permanent Secretary of the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, the Chairman of the Taraba State House of Assembly Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, the Secretary to the State Government and the Director-General of the Agbu Kefas Campaign Organisation.
He said the efforts failed to produce results, compelling the association to institute legal proceedings before the National Industrial Court in Abuja and Yola.
Maina expressed disappointment that the state government has continued to contest the matter in court rather than implementing the governor’s earlier pledge.
He reminded Governor Kefas of his campaign promise that there would be no “use and dump” approach to public servants and urged him to resolve the dispute in the spirit of fairness and compassion.
“We plead with Your Excellency to put yourself in our shoes and feel our pains. Life after public office has been extremely difficult for many of our members. We believe your administration can bring this matter to a just conclusion,” the association stated.
AFEC maintained that settling the outstanding benefits would not only fulfil a long-standing obligation but also restore public confidence in government commitments to former public office holders.
