Gratuity as Justice: Adamawa, Fintiri, and the Return of the Welfare State

For many retired civil servants in Adamawa State, gratuity had long ceased to be an entitlement. It became folklore – spoken of in whispers, pursued through dusty files, and deferred through endless bureaucratic excuses. Men and women who had devoted the most productive years of their lives to public service were left to age in quiet indignity, some dying before tasting the fruits of their labour. That tragic normalcy is now being deliberately disrupted.

The commencement of gratuity payments by the Adamawa State Government under Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri is not merely an administrative action; it is a moral and ideological statement. It marks a conscious return to the idea that government exists first and foremost as a guarantor of social protection, not merely as a manager of contracts or an allocator of patronage. In a political climate where public finance is often discussed in the language of austerity, debt ceilings, and “hard choices,” Adamawa’s intervention asserts a different logic: that fiscal discipline need not be divorced from social justice, and that prudence does not require cruelty. Paying gratuities to retirees – some of whom had waited decades – is an acknowledgment that the state carries ethical obligations that do not expire with budget cycles or regime changes.

This gesture fits squarely within Governor Fintiri’s broader social welfarist orientation to governance. From consistent salary payments and the introduction of a 13th-month salary for workers, to targeted interventions for flood victims and vulnerable households, the Adamawa model increasingly resembles a subnational welfare state in intent, if not yet in full institutional form. At its core is the belief that governance must be measured not only by infrastructure statistics, but by how it treats those who no longer have the strength to agitate or the leverage to bargain.

Ideologically, this approach draws from social democratic principles that see the state as an active participant in correcting social inequities produced by markets, mismanagement, or historical neglect. Retirees are a textbook example of a vulnerable group created not by personal failure, but by systemic indifference. They are owed protection precisely because their vulnerability is the direct consequence of having served the public.

In Nigeria’s political history, unpaid gratuities have often functioned as a silent form of expropriation. Governments extract labour during active service and then renege on post-service obligations, effectively turning public servants into unwilling donors to state inefficiency. Adamawa’s decision to reverse this pattern is therefore also an act of restitution – an attempt to repair a broken social contract. Critically, this intervention carries implications beyond compassion. Economically, gratuity payments inject liquidity into local communities, stimulate consumption, and reduce dependency burdens on families already strained by inflation and unemployment. Social welfare, in this sense, is not charity; it is sound economic policy with multiplier effects that ripple through markets, households, and healthcare outcomes.

Politically, it redefines legitimacy. A government that honours its dead and living obligations builds trust not through propaganda but through tangible justice. In an era where public cynicism toward the state runs deep, such actions restore faith in governance as a serious moral enterprise rather than a transactional hustle. It is also worth noting what this moment says about priorities. While many governments prefer ribbon-cutting projects that photograph well but age poorly, gratuity payments are quiet, unglamorous, and politically inefficient in the short term. They do not trend on social media. They do not carry plaques. Yet they speak more powerfully to the kind of society a government seeks to build – one where dignity does not retire with age.

Adamawa’s example poses an uncomfortable question to other states and indeed the federal government: if a subnational entity with limited resources can confront legacy obligations head-on, what excuse remains for those who continue to postpone justice under the guise of reform? In the final analysis, the payment of gratuities is not about the past alone. It is about the future. It tells current workers that their service will not be forgotten, that loyalty to the public realm is not foolishness, and that the state can still be trusted to keep its word. That assurance is invaluable in rebuilding a professional, motivated, and ethical civil service.

By choosing to pay what is owed, Adamawa State under Governor Fintiri is doing more than clearing arrears. It is reclaiming the moral authority of government itself—and quietly reminding Nigeria that welfare, when grounded in justice, is not a luxury but a democratic necessity.

Nigerians can now invest ₦2.5 million on premium domains and profit about ₦17-₦25 million. All earnings paid in US Dollars. Rather than wonder, click here to find out how it works.

Join Daily Trust WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.