The Cross River State Accountant General, Joseph Adie has regretted that what the state government is currently receiving from the federation account was not enough to pay gratuities of retired workers in the state.

Speaking to journalists in Calabar on Wednesday, Adie disclosed that allocation to the state from the federation account fluctuates between N1 and N3 billion depending on what is shared and that it was not enough to pay gratuities and still attend to other needs of state.

Retirees, including former Permanent Secretaries are yet to be paid from 2014 to date, prompting them to consider the option of a court action against the state government.

But the Accountant General, who gave insight into the situation, said:

“We have been having challenges with regards to the amount we get from federal allocation. Sometimes we get N3 billion or N2 billion or even N3 billion, depending on what is shared.

“I am sure you will be surprised that even those states that have the highest allocation, you see that they owe pensions and they are not making effort to pay. But we have tried; we are paying. In fact at a point, we have been setting aside N200m every month. As we speak, we have cleared 2013 gratuities and we have paid 2014 up to February.”

Adie also debunked the allegation that his staff were collecting about N200,000 from the retirees before processing their papers for gratuities.