VOICE AIR MEDIA News Update

THE Benue State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has lambasted the state governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, for paying just one month’s salary to workers.

The governor had, in his Democracy Day speech, urged civil servants in the state to be expectant of alerts from June 25.

Alia stated this while lamenting the plight of the people following the unpaid salaries and pensions he inherited from the immediate past administration led by Chief Samuel Ortom.

Some of the workers were, however, disappointed on Sunday when the state government began the payment of just one month’s salary.

Reacting, PDP, in a statement issued by the State Publicity Secretary, Bemgba Iortyom, said despite receiving “tens of billions of naira from the monthly federal statutory allocation”, the governor was unable to pay salaries across all ministries.

“Our great party is aware that Governor Alia, who is still running a government without a cabinet, has received into the state’s treasury tens of billions of naira from the monthly federal statutory allocation as well from stamp duty and debt swap accruals.

“PDP investigations gather that Governor Alia late last night eventually bowed to pressure from the party to pay workers their wages as he had promised to do without fail on 25th of every month, and directed that one month salary be paid to workers, but so far only those in a few of the ministries have received credit alerts from government”, the statement added.

Voice Air Media gathered that the Benue government has paid civil servants in the state their salaries for the month of May — the first time in seven months.