Local governments in Enugu State will begin paying gratuities owed to retired council workers from October, according to an official. The payments are meant to clear a backlog that has built up over roughly 25 years. Many of the retirees left service decades ago and have been waiting ever since for benefits due to them. The decision follows efforts by the state government to settle long-standing obligations to former council staff. Officials indicated the exercise would be conducted in an orderly way based on verified records. Pensioners across the state's council areas stand to benefit from the exercise. For households that have waited a generation for the money, the announcement is the first real sign of movement.