Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
Over 100 employees of local government councils in Benue State, whose names were recently removed from the local government pay vouchers, have staged a peaceful protest to the state’s House of Assembly to demand a correction of that anomaly.
The protesters, who bore placards some of which read, ‘We are Not Ghost Workers, ‘We Were Genuinely Employed, ‘Pay Us Our Dues.’ They were peaceful in their demonstration but resolute to achieve their aim.
Leader of the protesters, Emmanuel Iorlumun, while addressing the Speaker, Hon. Terkimbi Ikyange and other members of the Assembly, maintained that they were duly employed in various local governments following approval given by the Benue State Government in 2011.
Iorlumun explained further that appointment letters were given to them after which they signed acceptance forms and submitted same to Director, General Service and Administration of their areas.
He added that they were captured in the Benson Abounu led Emergency Committee on Salary Issues pin 2011 as well as in the 2014 biometric staff verification of the Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affair.
“We have gone through series of screening throughout our stay in the local governments with good records in the service.
“We started receiving our monthly salaries from 2011. Even this present administration continued with the payment right from its inception without complaints. Our bank statements and local government vouchers can attest to that. The Benson Abounu Emergency Committee on Salary Issues even captured the staff employed in 2011”, he stated.
He said they were however shocked when they got news that the Special Adviser to Governor Samuel Ortom on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affair, Hon. Titus Zam had on March 13, 2018 issued directive to the 23 local government chairmen to expunge their names on the various pay vouchers without stating their offense.
The protesters appealed to the Speaker to prevail on the Special Adviser for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affair as well as the Benue State Government from deleting their names on the local government pay vouchers.
Speaker Ikyange in his response, regretted the anomaly and assured the protesters that the state house of frowned at the ambiguity that has shrouded payment of salary in the State, averring that the House is carrying out verification to ascertain the true position of the issue with an view to correcting the anomalies.
It should be noted that local government staff in the state are owed over 11 salaries.